Cover Image: All of Me

All of Me

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Member Reviews

I believe that the character was well written, however I’m not sure how I feel about the entire book in general. I have read some similar books this year that I do think are slightly better written and more enjoyable but I did like this book and would recommend.

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This book just wasn’t for me. Didn’t enjoy the writing style or the male character. The book was just meh

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Maren has Asperger and she lives her life almost like eveerybody but not like everybody. She is very smart but her family protect her so much that sometimes she just can't handle it. I felt for even when Caleb treat her bad.
This is a really slow romance and they almost did not make it.

Caleb has traumas and he cannot add Maren to his life yet he cannot deny that he is starting to have feelings for her. how they are throw together and even the awkard situations make me helpless for them.
In real life things seems more obscure and sad.
I really loved them together, maybe we could have her sister's story.

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Maren is a young woman with incredibly high functioning ASD, she has been living by the rules of her overbearing family, yet she wants to break free and have her independence. Caleb is a co worker of Maren’s sister and when he meets her he is intrigued. Although I wasn’t a fan of Calebs behaviour at times I did enjoy that Maren was able to come in to her own.

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This was the first book I've read from this author and it was just okay. It was hard for me to get into and the characters didn't keep my attention.

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3.75 all-encompassing ★★★✬✩
This book is for you if… the emotional challenge of following a main character with the diagnose autism is something you feel you can handle. You will be rewarded with a quirky contemporary romance story that covers topics that are still wildly underrepresented in literature.

⤐ Overall.
So, this book obviously ripped me out of my comfort zone. Both the writing style and the insightfulness of this book touched me deeply. It was easy to fall in step with the characters and the plot. The individual characters and their struggles were approachable and I was offered many opportunities to laugh out loud or wince empathetically.

Sadly, after about 30% the arch of suspense pretty much plummeted. I can't really determine the cause: the plot made sense and there was a great deal of sizzling between Maren and Caleb. It definitely caused damage to my emotional investment. There was one thing I was very shocked to read. Emily says how at 21 days, a fetus has a heartbeat. That's wrong. It's not a fetus. It's a bunch of cells pulsing, no actual identity or consciousness can be ascribed to this lump from a medical viewpoint as far as I know.

⤐ What’s happening.
‘People have a lot of opinions on whether I feel emotions. Authors write about the depth of my understanding of sadness to happiness to compassion. Behavioral specialists analyze it. They tell others how someone like me will feel. I only know my own mind.’

Maren's life is as much her own as it is that of her overprotective family. They stir her around like a helpless child and not the adult women she is. It seems like she can finally prove she's in control of her life as much as anybody else when her sister Libby moves out of town. Left in peace with Libby's captivating co-worker, Maren hopes to finally be the independent women she always wanted to be.
Con:
⇢ dating scene nasty and full of trash
⇢ feelings are tough
⇢ life without sister is less fun
Pro:
⇢ adorable office mate offers A+ support
⇢ running with Caleb Alen is life-altering
⇢ finally eggos for breakfast whenever she wants

_____________________
Writing quality + easy of reading = 4*

pace = 3.5*

plot development = 4*

characters = 3.5*

enjoyability = 4*

insightfulness = 3*

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It's NOT something New in the romance Genre , but after reading AMAZING Romance books this year, I hoped Writers will recognize how wrong and unacceptable to excuse and forgive the hero for his Rude and insulting behavior toward the heroine and other people , just because he has problems and demons to fight ....

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Characters-⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Story-⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Hero-⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Heroine-⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(love her!)
Cliffhanger-N/A
Cheating-N/A
Will I recommend it?-yes abosolutely💛

Firstly a huge thanks to netgalley and also the publishers for this book. It was a delightful read from the first page to the very last!
This my first time reading a book with a autistic character and I loved it! Maren is simply amazing. I never even thought that I would love a heroine on the autistic spectrum as much as I loved Maren. She is simply amazing protagonist. She is simply my rock-star. Maren met Caleb when the former's sister requested him to pick her up from her office. Caleb didn't know about Maren's condition,not many people did though. The girl is sharp,logical,works an important job,runs like a trained Olympic contender for fun. Apart from being a bit socially akward twenty- something city girl nobody could say that she is autistic. And in addition to that the girl is beautiful. It was not love at first sight mind you. Caleb thought that Maren was an odd one and Maren in turn thought that the former was rude and not a punctual guy. But that meeting was something none the less. Caleb changed a lot in this book. The character development was astonishing. The Caleb Allen at the begining was a successful,manipulative,selfish and extremely competitive lawyer who was striving for a promotion at the law firm along side Maren's sister and wasn't above Maren for that matter. But I guess something between them clicked. He became her biggest champion. I loved the way he encouraged her in her decision to live by herself. I loved the way her waited for her ouside her house for their morning runs. I loved the way he used to find excuse to stay with her a few minutes more. I loved the way he used to escort her to her front door.I loved the way her fought(literally).I loved their tentative first kiss,their first fight and I absolutely loved their story. I loved the way the author delivered both Maren and caleb's point of view. It was refreshing to read what was going inside both of their mind. I understood Caleb's state of despondency and his growing restlessness. His past shaped the way he was and why he wanted to control his life the way he wanted. And he wanted more with Maren. It was a constant push and pull with him and Maren and their legal circumstances didn't help their budding relationship one bit. Its safe to say they both hurt each other sometimes knowingly sometimes due to the circumstances.Caleb was smitten with Maren. He was in complete denial and did some pretty crazy things(like date other girls)to drive her mad and she was pretty mad but he did some pretty great things for Maren too. He became her to go person while she was alone in the city without her sister. He checked up on her for her parent's peace of mind but he never pushed her or made her do things that he didn't want to do. He gave her a chance to be herself. A chance to grow up. He became her only friend and and eventually her bofriend putting his beloved career on the line which goes to tell us that he loves her cause the "old Caleb" Would never ever do something like that. I won't give out any spoilers than I already have but I absolutely loved this book. Its my first Emily Duvall novel and it won't be my last.Between vindictive ex-college mates/opposition,legal battles,over-bearing parents,over-protective but an awesome sister,high profile legal battles,morning runs and afternoon kisses,bad decisions and first love,cool collegues to clingy coworkers to married bofriends, you would never be bored. And the chemistry between these characters was something else. They should have been together the whole time. Maren and Caleb together were an easy couple. Their banter was engaging and inspite of Maren asking too many personal questions, Caleb was surprisingly never bored with her. Irritated? Yes. Bored? No. Ingored her? Never. Which is why I loved him as much as I did. This competitive,heartless,manipulative lawyer turned to be quiet a prince charming where Maren was concerned. I am in love with this book and would love to read more from this author in the future. Don't miss out on this story and please try not to judge it by its cover(like I did). I am looking forward to more of her books in the future.
"Totally refreshing love story. I have never read something like this before! I am looking forward to more of author Emily Duvall's books in the future!".
Happy reading ....xoxo.

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This could have been a beautifully written novel, with a brilliant experience of romance. Unfortunately, I had to finish it as I cannot abandon a book halfway through its reading. Story concept is unique and nice, along with great character development except Caleb’s.
I wasn’t sure what I was hoping to get out of this book. Everything was going well until I reached Caleb Allen’s point of view. I was expecting thoughts of a reputable lawyer with better choice of narration. I was utterly disappointed. This is the only thing I disliked in the story which, regrettably, pretty much covers the entire book.
Maren Cole, on the other hand, kept me moving forward with intriguing understanding. She is literally THE BEACON to this whole piece. I wished there were more of her than Caleb’s account, honestly.
And thanks to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for allowing me to obtain the digital copy of the book.

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In All Of Me Maren Cole is a highly intelligent woman who was diagnosed as high functioning on the autism spectrum when she was a child. She maintains an impressive financial job but struggles with social situations and being treated like a “normal” person by her family & most people she meets. When her sister moves away, Maren is finally able to free from an overbearing family and start to be an independent woman. She meets Caleb Allan, her sister’s co-worker, who is struggling with his own personal demons. There is a connection there that neither of them understands or is able to fight. But Caleb struggles with doubt that Maren can ever really love him and Maren worries she will never have a husband/family because no one will accept her for who she is.
This is a beautiful story and I devoured it. I don’t know what it is like to live on the autism spectrum and I don’t personally don’t know anyone who is; however, I felt like Emily dealt with this situation with the respect and grace it deserves. This is more than just a romance; this is a story of a young woman finally being allowed to discover who she is and to take control of her life despite a diagnosis that purports to say she can’t ever live a normal life like everyone else. This is the story of a man who is willing to see past Maren’s “quirks” to see and love her for the woman she is behind any diagnosis. I loved how it showed that the relationship had its ups & downs but that’s like any relationship and it wasn’t over dramatized because of Maren being on the spectrum. There was some twists & turns in this story that kept me on my toes and definitely some passion in it. This story is raw, unique, overwhelming, sad and beautiful and will touch your heart so much.
I was provided a copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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I wasn't sure what to expect of this book, but happily it turned out to be a likable romance with a different kind of heroine, just what I was looking for when I picked it up. I absolutely loved Maren, a young woman who was diagnosed with autism as a child, but who is clearly high-functioning.

Maren is a star at her job as financial analyst for an accounting firm, although she struggles with interpersonal relationships both at and outside of work. She dates rarely because most guys are put off by her flat honesty and lack of understanding and recognition of social cues. However, this hasn't stopped her from wanting to find a partner to share her life with. She lives in the same apartment building as her older sister, a successful and ambitious lawyer. Her parents and her sister have always taken care of her and tried to mold her behavior, but now, as she gets older, although she loves them, she has really started to chafe at their control over how she should act and live her life. When her sister accepts a transfer to NYC and expects Maren to just pick up and come with her, it's the final straw. Maren puts her foot down and refuses to move.

When Maren meets Caleb, she's attracted to him and excited at the thought of having a new friend, but she doesn't really understand that he's initially put off by her mannerisms, so she just plows ahead. She's so unconcerned about what other people think, it's refreshing. For Caleb it's a much slower road. He's initially attracted to her also, but he really doesn't know what to make of her and her unconventional way of thinking and acting.

This book was just as much about Maren finding her own path and her independence as it was about the romance between her and Caleb, and that was what I loved most about it. For me, the romance was the weaker of the two stories, mainly because I never really warmed to Caleb. He had his own difficult backstory that shaped him and while I was sympathetic, he still came off as self-centered, and quite honestly, a bit of a jerk for much of the book. Still, Maren's journey forward was strong enough for me to thoroughly enjoy this book and recommend it.

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I wanted so much to love this book. And I tried, I really tried... but in the end, I just couldn't ignore the few things I disliked.
Even though I usually try to avoid making comparisons between books that tackle similar tropes, there was no way I was not looking forward to something along the lines of Helen Hoang's The Kiss Quotient, which was one of my favorite reads of 2018. And in quite a few regards, this book actually managed to come close to what I loved about The Kiss Quotient.

For instance, there was Maren, the heroine. She was amazing. I loved being in that rational head of hers, trying to follow her thought processes, witnessing her struggles with daily life and her interactions with other people, and just getting to know this beautiful, smart, driven youg woman.
Also, being the sucker for slow-burn romance that I am, I quite enjoyed the slow development of Maren and Caleb's relationship... from just being able to tolerate each other to genuine friendship to, eventually, love. It felt real and relatable, especially on Maren's part.
Another thing I really appreciated was that Duvall created quite a few other female characters that, one, were all successful, likeable and strong, and two, actually played a big role in helping Maren adapt and become the person she wanted to be, instead of just standing on the sidelines while waiting for the male love interest to take on that job - as female sidekicks so often do.

Which leads me to my biggest issue with this book, namely Caleb, said male love interest.
While I kinda liked his grouchy, vulnarable tendencies in the beginning, the more time I spent with him, the more I wanted to strangle him. His constant hot and cold behavior aggravated the crap out of me and I hated what he kept doing to Maren. He knew how vulnerable she was, and yet he kept giving her mixed signals, kissing and banging her one second, then going back to acting like an asshole and shutting her out of his life the next. Yes, I know, I know, he was fighting his own demons and shit, but that doesn't justify any of his behavior. Actually, he isn't kind to anyone (I hated the way he treated his ex-whatever she was), he's whiny, self-absorbed and callous. I don't think he deserved Maren and the lack-luster reconciliation at the end didn't help matters either.

I wasn't a fan of the writing, either. The rather simplistic, short sentence style worked perfectly for Maren's straight-forward narration, but in Caleb's chapters, I kept wishing for more elaborate, emotional writing. I just felt like with him, the writing and the content of what he way saying just didn't always fit that well.

So all in all, this was a perfectly fine read. I was engrossed enough to read this book within two days and Maren has won herself a special place in my heart, but I was left a little disappointed regardless.
Still, I'm willing to check out more books by this author.

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**FULL REVIEW**

It's been over 24-hours since I finished this book and I'm still thinking about it. I've told everyone I know about this book...I guess you could say I absolutely loved this book! From cover to content, this one definitely makes it to a 2019 favorite read!

Why?

"What is it about Maren that you find so appealing anyway?" "She's not you."

Maren is officially my hero. From the very beginning, I fell in love with her. I wanted to read the entire book from her perspective. I wanted more even after the book ended...

And Caleb? A real-life, broken hero who really has no idea and yet is absolutely perfect.

Backstabbing co-workers, over-bearing family members, and the beautiful mind of a woman on the Autistic spectrum, you have an amazing story that is so relatable and real, it stays with you long after the tidy happily ever after.

I hope Duvall writes more stories like this one...it's fresh, unique, and quite frankly, perfect.

Brava, Emily. All of Me is everything a real-life romance should be...messy, beautiful, and richly layered with laughter and tears. Thank you.

**5 A Beautiful Mind, Stars**

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Thank you Netgalley and Xpresso Book Tours for sending me a complimentary arc of this book.

Maren Cole is an autistic woman who struggles with social situations and staying in crowd. But her overbearing family, who treat her like a five year old and try to plan every second of her life, don't make it easy for her. She believes she is ready for an independent life where she can make her own decisions. Then she meets Caleb Allan, her sister's arrogant coworker. Caleb is a workaholic. His only goal in life is to be a great lawyer and become a partner at a reputed law firm and he is not very far from reaching his dreams. But his life gets complicated when he meets Maren Cole. Maren is a witness in a case that would break or make Caleb's career and being involved with her would risk everything he had worked so hard for. But he can't seem to stay away.

I really enjoyed this book. Maren is a fantastic protagonist. This book is not only about her finding love but also about taking control of her own life. While Maren may be bad at conversations, her flat honesty shows that she knows what she wants. She is really strong, sweet and lovable and it was wonderful seeing her grow and discover herself. Her feelings for Caleb and her ways of expressing them are very cute and endearing. Now, Caleb did take time to grow on me. He was constantly confused about what he really wanted which is a stark contrast between his and Maren's character. But he had a great character development. I loved how he made efforts to understand Maren and autism in general.

The writing style was amazing and the author did a great job in portraying Maren's struggles. I would definitely recommend this book.

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This is the first book i have read by this author, and this was a great introduction, and I wasn't disappointed. This is the story of Caleb, and Maren. Caleb is a lawyer, his main objective is advancing his career, and become partner, in a law firm. Maren is autistic, she is the sister on one of Caleb's coworkers, and a witness in a case Caleb in working. Caleb doesn't want to deal with Maren, but his case requires it, but after interacting with Maren, he is intrigued by her, and finds himself drawn her. Getting involved with Maren, could be career suicide, and Maren, she might not ever be able to express her feelings for Caleb, but he can't stay away, will he lose his heart, and his career? This was an great story, i loved reading Maren, and Caleb's journey to love, and independence. This book was intense, passionate, emotional, and romantic. I very much recommend this book!!!

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I loved this book! It is emotional and real. I chose it because the blurb picked my interest, and surprisingly the story met my exceptions. It was unique and refreshing. I liked the heroine, and the hero, too... Mostly... He reminded me a grasshopper: jumping from one place to another, not able to decide, what he actually wanted. I may not like the hero's behavior sometimes, but it gives the book the touch of reality and makes the story more believable.
The book is now proudly staying on my shelf along with two other books about autistic characters written by Helen Hoang.
I recommend this book to all lovers of not cliche stories.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

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A beautiful, heartwarming story that I enjoyed so much I read it in less than a day. The characters of Maren and Caleb were a joy to read.
Thank you Netgalley and Xpresso Book Tours for a complimentary arc of this book.

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One of my favourite reads this year!

The story of Caleb and Maren.

Caleb is not one for relationships, not since the death of his young daughter years ago. Then he meets Maren, the sister of one of his work colleagues. Maren has autism, and this seems to define how she is treated by her family, but Caleb seems to treat her as an individual. They bond over running, and soon spend ore time together.

When she is a key witness against him in court what will happen?

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This is, by far, one of the best books that I have read. This book is told from both Maren and Caleb’s points of views, the two main characters. Maren is on the Autism spectrum, Caleb is not. This story is strong and well-written. The characters are likable. I appreciated this book because I have a young granddaughter who was recently diagnosed with autism. I worry about what the future holds for her. Although I know this book is fiction, seeing Maren being successful in society gave me peace-of-mind. Thanks, Emily, for writing such an amazing book!

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All of You was such a sweet and heart warming story. I absolutely loved it.

I loved Maren's character, with all its quirks and complexities. Reading her POVs was always fun, and it made the story all the more entertaining.

Caleb was a decent enough character, though I felt he could've been better.

Overall, All of You has a beautiful storyline and I loved reading it.

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