One of the best YA/NA books I’ve read to date! Brave, smart, mysterious and beautiful all at once. Did not want to put it down.

As a HUGE fan of Jamie McGuire I knew going into this book it would wreck me and haunt me in my sleep for days on end after reading. I was not wrong the intense emotions in this book are phenomenal. All the Little Lights is a book about redemption and a love so strong you don't want to ever let it go.

The backgrounds and the story of Catherine and Elliot is a beautiful story even though it hurt to read and I had to shut my eyes and hold them tight for the tears to pass I felt an obligation to continue and see where the story was going to lead me.

I fell in love with it when I finished All the Little Lights was a bit different then other Jamie books and I absolutely loved that because it showed me a different side of her as a writer and how she can accomplish emotions with her words. Stunning story!

#Netgalley #Allthelittlelights
In being honest, I requested this book without reading the synopsis because it was Jamie McGuire. I enjoy all the steamy, guilty pleasure romance of her books. Once I started this book it became clear, McGuire is experimenting with a different style of writing. The book is well written and has a good solid story, but this one is not my favorite. It is preference for me. I like the faster paced story and quicker read. All the Little Lights will have a definite audience. I love the Native American aspect of the novel and the strong ethnic characters.

This was the first book I've read by this author. I finished it rather quickly (within 2 days) as I needed to know how it ended. I enjoyed it but did feel that at times it was a little slow. I really loved the characters and how the author captured young love, high school drama, family drama and trying to fit in with your peers. I would recommend this book and would like to try some of her others.

Thank you #NetGalley and #Montlake for the ARC. This is my honest review.

This which a beautiful and compelling story filled with love and mystery, that will have you on the edge of your seat until the very last page! I came into this story completely blind I seen that one of my all time favorite authors wrote it and had to read it. Boy, was I in for a surprise. This story was nothing like she had ever written before, I was blown away. I loved that she was able to completely throw me for a loop by the end of the book. That ending was a huge shock! I was so surprised I didn't see the little signs, that I now see when I sit back and think about it! I loved it!

I have been a Jamie McGuire fan since The Providence Series and believe it or not; this is her best work to date! I did not want this book to end, but read it in a single day!
Mavis really surprised me at the end. Did not see that coming at all! The Juniper definitely held some secrets! This book definitely keeps you guessing. Very well written book by an author that brings the characters to life with great detail!

This was a sweet love story, but it was also a compelling mystery. I kindof had an idea what was happening with the mystery part, but I really didn't know until the end.

I received this digital ARC from NetGalley. This is my honest review. Thank you to the author and publisher.

Four stars and here’s why:

I enjoy reading Jamie McGuire's stories. Typically, they’re heartwarming, engaging, and entertaining, and so super fast paced that I devour them in one sitting. Also, I’m often thinking about her characters for days afterward. When I saw this ARC, I scooped it up right away. I dived in, but found the pacing slower, and the story unfolding in such a way that I realized this wasn’t going to be a one-nighter kind of story. It’s a departure from her typical writing style, but that’s a good thing – she writes very well and the characters are extremely well developed. It reads more like women’s fiction rather than a mystery, thriller, or YA novel. Those genres are faster paced, the dialogue snappier, and each chapter has more conflict to keep you turning the pages and forgetting your day job. I did enjoy this story very much and it will be one that will resonate with me for quite some time. If you like awesome writing and well-developed characters, this book is for you.

Boy Meets Girl.
Boy comes from a broken home, and Girl is a little bit broken, too.
Boy and Girl connect.
Then it all goes wrong.

Elliot Youngblood and Catherine Calhoun bond one summer when Elliot is on his yearly visit to his Aunt Leigh and Uncle John. Catherine's father has just lost his job, and Catherine needs an escape from the suffocation of her parents' arguments and her mother's sullen anxiety.

Unlike Catherine, Elliot is a routine escape artist. Growing up with an abusive and manipulative father and a mother whose backbone is sorely lacking, Elliot understands the pain of having a home that doesn't feel like HOME. Amidst a summer of long walks, picnics, photography, and honesty, Elliot and Catherine find something kindred in their spirits. They start to develop that pure first love.

Unfortunately, good things can't always last, and Elliot is ripped away from Catherine right when she needs him most. It takes two years, and a lot of effort, before Elliot can get back to her, but does she still even want him?

The first half of the book focuses on the beginning of Elliot and Catherine's relationship and his return to Oak Creek. In the years that Elliot has been gone, things for both him and Catherine have changed and yet still remained the same. Elliot has "glowed up" and become a talented football player, and he finally has the opportunity to force his way back to Oak Creek. His mother has some deeply rooted issues with the town, its close-mindedness, and ill-treatment of First-Nation families.

Catherine, on the other hand, has sunk even further into a self-imposed isolation. Her mother has transformed their decrepit estate into a bed and breakfast, and though it doesn't seem remotely successful, Catherine finds herself trapped under the whims of the "regular" guests (who are all a bit strange, and really not so regular at all). More importantly than that, she has to dedicate her life, her choices, to guarding the secret of the Juniper house and what happens inside it. If she doesn't, her life will spiral even further out of her control, and she'll lose the little semblance of family that she has left.

I loved both Catherine and Elliot, and even more love that we get to experience All the Little Lights through both of their perspectives. McGuire does a great job of creating each character's individual voice, and making the reader feel for both of her protagonists. Elliot is a boy who is trying his best to keep his head above water, to break free from the trauma and baggage that his parents weighed him down with throughout his life. Catherine, at her heart, is lonely. She's a girl who desperately NEEDS to be loved, and supported, and accepted, but she's forgotten how to let someone do that. She's afraid to let someone do that.

Elliot and Catherine are a perfect match. Their love for each other is so sweet, so endearing. I'll admit, there were a few moments when I wanted to tell Elliot to take a little bit of a chill pill, but, overall, his devotion to Catherine is beautiful, and the way they accept each other starts to heal some of those broken pieces that their lives have left within them.

As for the story itself- First of all, I want to caution readers to be patient. The BIG mystery doesn't escalate until almost halfway through the book, but I think there's still a lot to dig into in the meantime, and I had no issue with the pacing. I liked that McGuire didn't rush into the BIG mystery, and let it build up in a natural way. We needed the time to invest in the characters and really develop their social relationships and their world in order for the aftermath of the mystery to make sense.

By the way, the ending totally surprised me, and I love a twist. I'm going to be rereading pretty soon, so I can try to "collect" clues that I might have missed the first time around. I think McGuire's twist makes sense, and it was TOTALLY not what I'd expected.

There are some tough issues to tackle in All the Little Lights, and I love that young adult readers will be exposed to a book that will make them think. Elliot faces overt racism from many of the people in Oak Creek who continually stereotype him and even denigrate him for his First Nation background. The book also deals with mental illness, anger management, and substance abuse. As someone reading the book for enjoyment, I liked that it made me think and didn't just give the characters fluffy issues that would be easily solved or washed away.

As a teacher, I see a lot of potential for this book to generate some rich discussion among students, both those who do and do not have firsthand experience with these tough topics.

As you can probably tell, I really enjoyed the book, and I definitely recommend others give it a try! :)

I received this eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Elliott's parents fight. A lot. So much, that when summer comes, Elliott goes to his aunt and uncle's house in Oklahoma to get away from the yelling and screaming and things breaking. And Elliott loves going to her aunt and uncles place - so much so that he almost wishes that he lives there full time. Though his mother won't allow that, since she got bullied a lot about being Native American and got a lot of racial slurs that she doesn't want that life for Elliott.

And another thing Elliott enjoys? Photography. He's always taking pictures of things around town. When he decides to climb up an old oak tree, he stumbles upon a girl who lives on the property of the oak tree: Catherine. And Catherine is the most beautiful girl he's ever seen.

The following summers after that Elliott always sees Catherine, but never has the gumption to talk to her. Only when it's the summer after their freshman year in college does he get to talk to her - because she caught him beating up the tree with anger and frustration.

Catherine's parents constantly fight as well. So much so, that she can still hear it from the outside of her huge, 7 room Victorian house. So when she sees a boy punching her tree, she decides to ask him what he is doing.

From that moment on, the two were attached to the hip that summer. They would walk everywhere - even though it was 100+ degrees outside, go to the ice cream shoppe, anything. They have a great summer, but the closer summer ends, the sadder they get. Both have promised to keep in touch and see each other as often as possible, but that's not what happened. In fact, they don't see each other again until the first week of senior year in high school.

Two years have gone by, and a lot of things have changed. The most changed thing, though, is Catherine. Her dad died, and her mom decided to make a bed and breakfast with their house in order to keep money coming in. Now she has cut everyone off, because she won't let anyone get near her secrets that she's been hiding for two years.

Elliott is determined to become friends with Catherine, no matter how much it takes. He sacrificed his senior year in high school to be the new kid in order to be close to Catherine. Because as much as everyone thinks Elliott is crazy, he is in love with this girl and will do anything to win her trust back after breaking his promise.

Disappearances and bullying and hostility occurs over and over in their little town, causing strain on Elliott and Catherine both. Secrets are about to be released, and life is about to explode for these two, and keeping a hold of one another may not be feasible by the end of their senior year...

This book...This author... I just love them both so much! I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, because this is one of the first books I've read that is not part of the Maddox family novels. But wow, I am so in love with this book!

There are so many twists and turns to keep the reader guessing until the very end. I didn't guess EXACTLY what happened, but was along the same lines of the big reveal. And then when the reveal happened? It broke my heart in many ways. I can't even imagine going through that, and keeping my sanity in check.

Elliott is my favorite. He is so determined and dedicated. I mean, the poor boy got his car and his licence when he was 16 and instantly tried to drive to Oklahoma to see Catherine and explain. If that is not determination, then I don't know what is. He was driven to make himself a better person than his father, and a person that Catherine would be proud of. I would have definitely forgiven him the second he said he came to my school my senior year to be with me, because that is just swoon-worthiness if I've ever seen it.

And Catherine. She is a poor, confused, stressed out girl who seems like she is going to drop very quickly. Having to deal with school, being bullied by Presley day in and day out for basically her whole life, trying to cope with her father's death - even two years later - and having to take over most of the bed and breakfast herself because her mother has her good days and her bad days, is way, way, way too much for a 17 year old girl. And then to have to dodge the school counselor so she doesn't get taken by the DHS because her mother isn't being quite the mother-of-the-year that she should be? Too, too much.

The suspense was amazing. The secret was amazing. The reveal was amazing. I don't know what else to say about this book, because it was everything a reader will want, I think! Jamie did a fantastic job with this novel, and I cannot wait until May so I can buy my own physical copy to put in my personal library at home!

I am so glad that I was able to get an eARC of this book, and I will definitely be raving about this book to all of my friends and patrons!

I have been a fan of Jamie McGuire's for years- so of course I was excited to read All the Little Lights.

This book is much different than her other books to me, but not in a bad way. I enjoyed the flow of the story and the growth of the characters, but it did drag a bit for me in parts which made it hard to stick with.

Good story but not my favorite book by McGuire. the middle of the story was a bit slow but the rest of the plot did keep my interest and there were some good twists!

All the Little Lights is a stand-alone young adult novel. It follows the story of Catherine and Elliott. From the moment Elliott spots Catherine. He can't stay away. As outcasts, they form a friendship and an unforgettable bond. But, when tragedy strikes and Catherine needs him, Elliott is forced to leave town and leave her behind.....When Elliott is finally able to return to Catherine, things are different. They are different. Elliott is determined to win her back, despite Catherine's unwillingness to forgive him. Just when things appear to be moving in the right direction for Catherine and Elliott, the town is once again hit with tragedy. Only, this time, Elliott is the suspect....

Overall, I thought this book was an ok read. I thought the story-line was unique and intriguing. The characters were interesting and I liked that Catherine and Elliott were the outcasts. I wanted to know more about them, their story and the overall plot. I enjoyed the mystery that surrounded the story and couldn't wait to see how it would all play out.

However, I did have some issues with this story. One of the biggest ones was the pacing. At times, the pacing just lagged and I found it hard to keep focused. At times, I found myself confused and unsure of what was going on. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I like to try to figure things out when I'm reading and sadly this story left me feeling a bit lost at times.

All the Little Lights will be one of those reads that is a hit for some and a miss for others. While the plot was intriguing and had some good twists, the pacing threw me off. Even though I didn't love this book, I'm still glad that I gave it a chance and checked it out.

**3.5 Stars**

Usually when I write reviews I do it immediately after finishing a book because I feel like that's when I have my most honest feelings about it. However, with this one, I had to simmer on it for a bit.

I really liked the beginning, my attention was lost in the middle, and the end was like WHAT. THE. HELL.

I mostly liked all the characters. I loved Elliot. I thought he was such a sweet guy who was trying like hell to hang on to a girl he loved who was keeping secrets from him. He was so genuine and just an all around great guy.

Catherine was just messed up. Of course, in the beginning she was great and I understand why she changed after that, but she was just a little too evasive. Which then translated in confusion for not only Elliot, but me as a reader. There were a lot of times in the middle where I had NO idea what was going on and not in a good way. I was confused as to why the guests were being kept a secret, which is revealed later, but I feel like I should be more curious than confused. That is one of the reasons why I gave this a 3.5 stars.

The other reason I gave it 3.5 stars was because I felt like there were some loose ends that weren't tied up most of which involved the person who disappeared.

What saved it from getting just a 3 star rating was the ending. I had about 15% of it figured out and the rest was shocking. I consider myself to be a pretty observant person and I didn't even get it.

Overall, yes I recommend this book. The only books I've read by Jamie McGuire are her Beautiful series books so I wasn't sure what to expect. Like I said before, the middle was a little boring to me, but the rest of the book makes up for it.

I love McGuire's stories. They are always so entertaining as well as heartfelt, with characters that are unbelievably hard to forget. Which is why when I saw her latest release I picked it up without hesitation.

And while I did enjoy this and it will definitely be one that I won't be forgetting anytime soon I'm finding it very hard to review.

It was good, I liked it but it was also very..strange. The story dragged a bit at times and while the big "secret" was quite the shocker, it was also very..strange. It is so hard to say more without giving anything away but this one left me a bit unsettled and with mixed emotions.

It was definitely unique and a bit twisted with the ending but still an engaging story that I am sure fans will like.