This book was an interesting twist on the happily-ever-after fairy tale. When his girlfriend dies in a car crash immediately after telling him that she won't be following him to college, Kyle is forced to re-evaluate their relationship and his relationship with their mutual best friend. When he meets shy girl Marley (herself grieving a lost loved one) they help one another reenter the world and open themselves up to new relationships.
Some readers may think they have guessed Marley's secret, but like life, the truth is more complicated.

I started this book at 12:00pm and finished it at 9:00pm. That's how good this book is. It takes you through a roller coaster of emotions, heartbreak, hope, love, anger. The author does a wonderful job of truly pulling you into the story and making it feel so real.

The setup of the story was done really well. I was drawn in with the initial drama and problem that the protagonist has to deal with and try and overcome.

After about a quarter of the book, it started to drag a bit for me. I was not very compelled by the development of Kyle and Marley’s friendship, and certain details were bugging me, but that later was somewhat resolved.

About half way through I honestly did not want to finish. I was bored. I held on because I knew there was another turning point based on the novel synopsis.

The turning point happens about 75% way through, and I was excited again for the payoff. This was rather short lived, as the resolution became almost cartoonishly dramatic, like a soap opera.

What worked for me:
The main characters have pretty good character development and I think the students in my high school book club would find them sympathetic and they would care about them.
As far as Kyle’s growth- I think the way his grief was portrayed was really well done in the early parts of the book. His relationship with his mom was really sweet. I remember highlighting a few quotes about how he was dealing with his trauma.

What didn’t work for me: after the turning point, things got really bizarre and over the top dramatic. It felt rushed to get to the finish line. In the middle of the novel I felt like it was just dragging with no driving force of the plot.
Lame thing that bothered me: cherry blossom trees have a very short lived blossom time and it’s generally in March-April. No way there would be blossoms in August!
(But the aesthetic floral imagery was nice)

I loved getting lost in this love story. While some of too convenient, I happily suspended my disbelief & enjoyed the journey. This one will stay with me!

This was a surprising book to me! When I requested an ARC I did so because the description intrigued me and the reviews thus far were all very positive - though I don't actually read reviews, I do look at the numbers of ratings.

There were some aspects to the story that I was guessing as I read and so because of that I was not allowing myself to get deeply pulled in. But even so, I still could not put this down! I loved the characters! I loved the weave of a stories within a story as one of the characters speaks her feelings through writing stories. It was just phenomenal to read! I felt the emotions of the characters and really connected to how they were feeling.

The basis of the story is that Kyle and Kimberly have been high school sweethearts but were never really quite perfect for one another. They fought all of the time, they broke up numerous times. On the night of their graduation they have a huge fight, they break up and then there's a horrific car crash. (This isn't spoilery because it's even in the Goodreads description). When Kyle wakes up his world has been crushed! He's severely injured and Kimberly is dead. He sinks into utter depression. It's only through a strange girl named Marley that Kyle finds help to heal him and to realize exactly who he is and what he wants in life.

A good story is one that pulls you in and leaves you wanting more with each page. All This Time did that for me!

Top Favorite Quotes:
And love is not a fairy tale, no matter how perfect the story sounds.

"It's hard to build anything if the foundation has cracks."

"Go find what you love. Find someone you love. Find that person you can't live without. He's out there."

"You can't make someone choose you."

"I traveled many roads to find this lost treasure, this piece of me"...."but it was you who found me"...Now I wish to give it to you."

Language Rating: 2 (medium)
Mature Content Rating: 2 (medium)
Final Rating: 4 stars

This book had me alternating between laughter and tears. I literally could not put this down. I loved every minute of it. I did not want it to end.

Kyle and Kimberly are the epitome of young love, and on graduation night Kyle cannot wait to give her a gift that represents their years of love and friendship before they embark on a journey to college together. But when shocking news sends Kyle out into a storm in anger, Kimberly follows him. An accident that they couldn’t have predicted changes everything, and Kyle finds himself in a hole of grief and despair, and in inability to move on. When he finally gets the strength to leave the house after months of isolation, he finds himself wanting to spend time with Marley, a quiet girl who has stories to tell, but refuses to focus on the sad ones. As they fall in love, Kyle is able to grow and learn to be the best version of himself. But when another storm rolls in and he finds himself back in the hospital, his story changes and he cannot seem to rewrite it the way he wants. A story of heartbreak, love, friendship and growth, you realize just how important the stories you tell are to you, and to your listener. Even after all this time.

On the night of graduation, all set to head off to UCLA in the fall, Kyle and Kimberly, high school sweethearts, get into an accident in the midst of a make or break the relationship discussion. Brace yourself for the impact, as it is in the details that the story answers its own questions. You just need to keep your eye on the moving targets. Kyle survives, and this is his story of moving beyond the plans of his future to find out what he really needs. You can't hold onto the past and it will take trusting others to overcome your fears about the future. The language of flowers and plenty of color symbolism plays as a mystical mystery adventure with the reader that helps make the hard-hitting topics bearable. All This Time is a hauntingly beautiful story of moving beyond the impact to find forgiveness and love.

What a magical story. I felt like I was constantly trying to figure out what was happening & where the story was heading. This style kept me intrigued the whole read. The characters were honest which was refreshing. I love an all encompassing love story but this was told in such a different way!

This book was so lovely and emotional. Kyle and Kim are high school sweethearts who get into a fatal car accident. While Kyle is healing from Kim’s loss, he meets Marley who is dealing with her own grief. Both of them begin healing and grow as people as they spend more time together. But then Kyle learns something that shakes him to his core.

The novel was expertly written, I cared about all of the characters, and I was hooked on the story from the first page. I stayed up way too late wanting to know what happens next. Highly recommend!

Kyle has pretty much everything he could want- a longtime beautiful girlfriend, a long time best friend, a chance to go to his favorite college and although his football career is over, a chance to do something sports related with his life. That all comes to a crashing halt when a crash takes his girlfriend's life. Forced to get to know himself alone, he meets Marley who is also grieving and they help each other grow.
I know this was about teenagers but the melodrama was way over the top. There is a twist toward the end but I don't think it did what the authors wanted it to.

For the longest time I wasn’t sure if this was a ghost story or some other kind of magic but it is definitely a sweet and thorough love story.

I found this YA book captivating even as it twisted along, keeping me guessing. The character development is superb and I really felt for Kyle as he tried to recover from a tragic accident and make sense of his experiences with sweet, enigmatic Marley.

Beautiful book and poignant love story.

I had high expectations for this book because I loved Five Feet Apart. This book had the same raw emotion that I hoped for. I will say, however, that some of the transitions when "big" things happened seemed a little abrupt to me. Like BAM! it just happened with little build-up to the action. However, the emotions of the main character Kyle were very real and very easy to connect with.

All This TIme is a story of love, hope, and believing in the future. When Kyle and his girlfriend, Kim, have tragedy befall them on graduation night, it takes everything in him to move forward in his life. When he meets beautiful, shy Marley, she shows him that true, emotionally connected love is the stuff of dreams.

This emotional book is so beautiful. It has all the magic of a fairy tale and makes you reflect on life and love throughout. I highly recommend it.

Advanced readers' copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

All This Time is a well-written and interesting YA read, all the way to the end. It is a fast-paced story that will tug at your heart-strings. After a terrible accident, Kyle seems to be on the mend and then a terrible twist reveals that what we thought was reality may not really be. Or, is it? Kyle has to recover from this twist of events and it seems he just can't get a break. Thank you, NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

All This Time was a unique read. Initially, I was reluctant to read it, thinking it would be similar to other stories I've read. I was pleasantly surprised. All This Time provided an entertaining, though quick, read. The characters were appealing, and the story moved fast enough for me to want to stick with it to find the answers to my questions. Towards the end, some readers might need a bit more clearly stated to explain what actually happened with Marley and Kyle if their inferencing skills are not good.

Love Between the Lines:

Kyle has loved Kimberly for the majority of his life. So how can he accept that she is breaking up with him? This can’t be happening. What is life if she’s not in it? This novel explores the idea of reality being blinded by love and how taking a step back to look at all the signs can prove that perhaps what you want isn’t what you need. Can you let go of those pretenses and accept another choice for your life, one that is messy and needs work but brings out the best in both parties?

This was a tragic love story. Grief and loss are key components to the novel and have a direct correlation with the actions and perceptions of our characters. One learns how easy it is to let grief over take you. Most people need help to overcome tragedy and cope with the feelings that accompany it. This was a story about healing and accepting the things we cannot change and learning to grow from our experiences.


Best Part:

Fairy Tales:

A key character in this novel is a storyteller. In the beginning she is scared to share her stories but opens up overtime, and as we get to experience many of her stories they begin to shape our reality. One story about a girl searching for love was particularly moving and holds true in both life and in the fairy tale. It was magical to see how the stories intertwined with the real world.


Memorable Quote:

No quote can be used. This is an Advanced Reader Copy and does not become available to the public until September 2020

This book was simply exquisite! You never knew what was reality or fantasy, which kept the book interesting, exciting, and kept me coming back for more. As an English teacher, I simply fell in love with the descriptive details and sensory details that the authors used. It allowed for an all around immersive read. Spectacular!

Any reader understands that authors write their books for a myriad of reasons. Not every realistic story has to be completely realistic, just as many fantasies contain realistic characters or situations. All This Time is quite a mix of realism and fantasy, with twists and turns that will keep readers guessing till the last chapter. For readers who enjoy a romance that is incredibly realistic, this is not the story for you. This is much more of a fairy tale, and you have to engage in willing suspension of disbelief to stick through the entire book. There were several times while reading this that I struggled to classify this story. Was it solely a realistic fiction story with a romantic element, or was it going to turn into a sinister psychological thriller? I could not figure out what to expect, but I was curious enough to keep reading. My biggest complaint was that the ending did not seem to want to wrap up. Every time I thought this story was complete, another plot twist appeared. I think the ending carried on a little too long, and it made me feel a little like I was reading a soap opera script. That being said, I did enjoy the story, and I will recommend this book to starry-eyed teens wanting a tale of love lost, found, lost and found again.

I received All This Time from NetGalley for an honest review.

2-2.5

I was rooting for this book. I really was. Because the writing is good, especially the first third of the story, which introduces a plot about love and loss, dealing with heartbreak, childhood sweethearts, graduation party night–familiar themes found in teen dramas, which I typically enjoy. And I felt Kyle’s grief after the accident. Even though I didn’t really like his character, I still thought he was a believable person with relatable complexities.

But after the first third, the story fell flat for me. I couldn’t connect with the characters and get into the developing plot, no matter how much I tried. This had to do with dialogue that sounded cliché, and often times, I felt like I was reading the makings of a Hallmark movie. (I don't mind watching Hallmark, but it's not my choice for reading). These factors impacted why the emotional scenes couldn’t ring true for me, even with the interesting plot twist.

I imagine All This Time will be an enjoyable read for many others, but it just wasn’t entirely for me.

I also must share: gorgeous cover!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the pre-release copy.