Cover Image: Single All the Way

Single All the Way

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Member Reviews

I really wanted to like this book. The synopsis held so much promise, but the book failed to deliver as much as I hoped for from it. I enjoyed it well enough, but with a few tweaks it could have been an even more enjoyable read.

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This book was absolutely fantastic, I didn't want to put it down. I loved that it was so funny and romantic but with a festive feel to it, would definitely recommend and have done so many times.

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I can see my mother is calling me. I answer the phone, knowing I’ll have to tell her about Oliver and me breaking up. But before I can, she announces, ‘I don’t exactly know how to tell you this… But I’m leaving your dad.’

I went into Single All the Way expecting a Christmasy light and fluffy read but it wasn't. I love the depth of the relationships and the details.

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Not quite the light, holiday romance read I was expecting from the cover! Quite an emotional read in the end, but in a good way. I like the relationship between Meg and her mother Sally. Quite a though provoking read that really makes you think about relationships.

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I loved this book, it's such a feel-good, charming and heart-warming love story that tugs at the heart and makes this little book lover go all gooey inside. It is jammed to the rafter with so much heart and emotion. I was instantly invested into the characters and their lives, I adore the setting and the writing is absolutely flawless. There isn't a lot I don't like about this book - in fact, I can't think of anything I don't like about it - maybe we could have made it to a film or a sequel? I haven't read this author before reading this and I was hooked with her light and easy writing style, and will certainly be reading more.

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Very unusual Christmas story and not what I expected at all. I think that's a reason why I struggled though some parts as I didn't feel Christmas atmosphere from it, it felt very heavy and little depressing at times. The second half of the book definitely got better though.

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Another Christmas book that starts miserable and I can’t do it. Things are too bleak as it is at the moment and I need some light Christmas relief

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Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

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I enjoy this book, it gave me all the Christmassy feels and can’t wait to read more from this author, I really enjoyed the characters, the plot and the authors writing style

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Sorry - forgot to post this review, now going through reviews had written and saved, yet not posted:

OMG! Can someone explain to me whilst I've not read a Karen King novel before? No. Me either!

Romantic, smart, funny, I could keep going, but I'd exhaust my thesaurus!

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A break up that leaves Meg shaken makes her have to reassess many areas of her life. This festive and warm romance novel is an easy ans happy read that will leave you wanting to read more from Karen King.

Meg and her mother escape to try and work out what they want. Do they want the men they left behind? Or is there something better around the corner.

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley in return for my honest opinions.

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I found this novel so uplifting and only wish I'd got round to reading it sooner.

I've read quite a few Christmas books in the past, all of which have been light reads. Yes, it's set around Christmas but I read this in February and found the storyline outweighed the fact it was set in December - if anything it was just a nice added bonus to take me back to the festive season.

The storyline seemed unique, in which this story features a mother and daughter who have both left their other halves rather than one character on their own escaping reality. Meg was questioning her future with her husband when one wanted to have children and the other didn't and Sally was deciding whether it was time to leave her trapped and loveless marriage.

I found some parts of the book quite repetitive. The constant decision as to whether they should leave their other halves or not did get a little tedious and if it had been edited slightly more I think it would have helped the book flow a little more. I would have also liked to have had chapters written from the husband's POV.

In all, it was a very uplifting book and a reminder to follow your dreams. A great read for during the festive period too!

Thanks so much for providing me the opportunity to read this novel.

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I really enjoyed this Christmassy offering. Having the different perspectives from the characters really gave the story depth and it was interesting to see how Meg had to reassess how she saw her Mum when she had to consider her as a woman too. The Cornish setting was just beautiful and the ultimate conclusion was immensely satisfying.

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Let me start by saying that I LOVE Christmas season books! I expect them to be sweet and cheesy, easy reads without a whole lot of substance. That's their charm!

Well, this book had no charm. It might have been cute as a novella/short story. Instead it was a forever long book about a mother and daughter that leave their spouses right before Christmas, and we have to suffer through hundreds of pages of should they/shouldn't they get back together. I get it, books need some sort of conflict, but do we really have to do the back and forth 5 times each?

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC for an honest opinion.

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Thank you to Netgalley for a pre publication copy. In return for an honest review! #singlealltheway #netgalley

Sally is in her 60's and floating along in life. She has two children, one grandson and of course a husband. Everything that she could wish for! However recently Sally has felt trapped, like she is living in the shadows of her husband who no longer shares her dreams of spreading her wings. Meanwhile her daughter Meg has split with her husband Oliver because he has lied to her for seven years. He always said he wanted a baby and never has! Can they rectify their retrospective marriages or will this be the end for them all?

The christmassy fun title drew me to this book. I felt it was a beautiful play on words which was unique to this book (and maybe author but she is a new author to me). Although after reading it it is not just a book for Christmas although the main portion of it is over December.

Once opening the book it is a page turner. You are always being given secrets for you to be a detective with. I read this book in 24 hours. Any spare time i had i felt myself wanting to pick this book up to find another piece of the puzzle. In order to work out 1) Was it really as simple as it sounded for their marriage splits 2) Was Meg and Sally falling in love in Cornwall and 3) Could Ted and Oliver story be heard.

This book is a great cosy read and you certainly need the tissues for this one! You never feel that you are missing anything from the story line allowing you to follow it through until the end with confidence. Although there is quite a few ways the author could have taken this story so you draw your own conclusions early on.

Although their are some emotional subjects included in this book such as divorce, teenage pregnancy, single parent hood, health scares and being stifled in a relationship. I do not feel this takes away from the cosy feel of the book and I feel actually gives each character a third dimension to get your teeth into. Making it a very relatistic and heartfelt read.

The characters are all loveable in their own way. You can see they are all clawing at the pages for their story, thoughts, feelings and ideas to be heard. You find yourself wanting to call Sally and Meg and tell them their is more to it all!

However the only aspect of the book I would alter is towards the end. After their new year family celebration I feel the story either needed to end their and allow for a sequel following Meg and Sally's new lives or for the next chapters be expanded on. I feel that the time when Sally heads to Cornwall and decides on living with Rose, where to holiday and seeing Rory. As well as Meg s new life and getting pregnant would be a key aspect to either the sequel or if it was expanded on. Meaning it would draw the reader into Sally's new life rather than feeling that she's moved on faster than you have! However this certainly does not detract from the story.

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This cover looks light and fun but this book packs some seriously punches when it comes to exploring relationships. I enjoyed reading a romance where the duel perspectives were a mother and daughter instead of hero and heroine. I'm still getting into the romance genre and was excited to try a Christmas theme romance book, which was perfect to read around the holidays. Again, I was surprised by the substance of this one which made it a much better read than some of the lighthearted holiday books I've tried before. The refreshing, introspective plot made it a book I'd recommend to those bridging the women'd fiction and romance genre gap

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I enjoyed this page turning book. It was well written. Glad that I read it. Will be checking other books by this author.

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This is another ‘catch up’ post, where I try and review all the books I neglected in December! The only problem with this tardiness is, of course, that this is a Christmas book and it isn’t Christmas any more! Still, some people read festive books all year round. Or, maybe you are just looking for a nostalgic read to take you back to the sparkling, joyful days of the holidays and away from the depressing gloom of January. Or maybe you are starting a list for next Christmas. Hopefully this will help somebody, somewhere, somehow!

There are quite a few ‘running away from Christmas’ books around, but I have never read one that involves both a mother and daughter running away together. This USP of the book gives it a really interesting and different dynamic, and explores issues that are perhaps not something much of us give much thought to on a daily basis, beyond the normal mother-daughter relationships to thinking of our parents as separate human beings who have their own relationship problems. This leads to some awkward issues for the pair which the author thoroughly exploits to the benefit of the story.

I loved the location of a cottage in a Cornish village (always a winner!) and the couple getting involved in the local village celebrations. The book has a gorgeous, cosy, festive feel that is just the thing to warm your cockles on a cold, winter day, even when it isn’t Christmas. Beyond the festive fun, though, the book explores some difficult relationship issues with affection and sensitivity. It really moved me in parts, these are extremely common problems that people are dealing with on a daily basis, so I am sure the difficulties experienced by the characters will resonate with readers and give back a little more than festive froth.

The author’s voice is warm and approachable, the book was an easy read, but rewarding as well. A welcome addition to my roster of Christmas reading. I highly recommend it next time you are in mood for a festive book, whatever time of year that is.

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Mother and Daughter Sally and Meg both split up with their husbands just before Christmas. They spend Christmas together in a cosy costal village in Cornwall where they bond, meet new friends and do a lot of soul-searching.

The narrative is mostly split between Sally and Meg’s perspectives with a glimpse at their husbands Ted and Oliver. I liked both Sally and Megs’ characters, their husbands not so much. The emotions and heart-break of failing marriages seemed realistic and I really felt for the characters. However, I found that it got too repetitive; the same ‘should I – shouldn’t I?’ questions were asked by the characters over and over which I found tiresome.

I liked the setting and the characters that Sally and Meg made friends with. This is not as festive a read as other books set at Christmas and had a bit more of a serious tone than I was expecting but I actually liked this aspect of it. I also liked the mother-daughter bonding.

This book had a really strong start and I wanted to find out what happened to the characters but I didn’t find the ending completely satisfying. I can understand why the ending was chosen and think other people will like it, but it didn’t quite work for me. I think this is partly because it seems a bit rushed and therefore doesn’t match my emotional investment in some of the characters. It might also be because of the expectations around a novel set at Christmas with the cover and tagline that this book has.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys complex emotional journeys.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this title.

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Two couples, at different stages of their life, each person wanting different things out of their relationship made for quite an emotional.read. The fact that I could empathise with each character made it all the more interesting. 

As the author says through her characters, life is too short and too precious to waste it, and the feelgood factor in this story comes from two very different outcomes.

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