Get ready for your favorite romance of 2023 because Kate Clayborn has knocked it out of the park with Georgie, All Along. It has given me the biggest book hangover because it is so well written and executed that it’s a hard one to follow up. This book has so much heart, so much emotional tenderness and two characters that are imperfectly perfect in every way. It’s about returning home and revisiting your past as a means of self-discovery and growth. Georgie uses her long-time friend Bel having a baby as the perfect reason to leave her demanding Hollywood PR job, but once home, realizes she has been living for others instead of herself. A long forgotten “friend fiction” written by her and Bel as teenagers helps Georgie reevaluate who she is and what she wants—does adult Georgie have the same hopes and dreams as teenage Georgie? And what makes this so perfect is that there, all along (oh I did that didn’t I?) is Levi who seems to understand Georgie’s messy life isn’t as awful as she thinks; in fact Levi has his own past demons to contend with that making him a beautiful match to Georgie. With any good book there is character growth and we are lucky enough to see growth in both Levi and Georgie as they each measure themselves against family relationships, town assumptions, and personal life expectations.

Things I loved:
📔Side characters that feel wholly realized
📔The friend fic Georgie and Bel wrote as teens, and just their relationship overall
📔Georgie’s chaotically funny parents
📔Grumpy/Sunshine trope and Forced Proximity trope that don’t feel tropey at all
📔LEVI FREAKING FANNING
📔The writing…I won’t even try to put it into words…it’s so emotional and excellent
📔Hank the farting dog
📔The sex scenes

Full disclosure, I received this book as an advanced reader copy from Kensington and from NetGalley in exchange for my review. I loved this book so much that I immediately had to order a print copy to have on hand—it is THAT good of a book! I highly recommend you do too.

I LOVED GEORGIE IMMEDIATELY. Her internal monologue felt like it was a torn excerpt from my mind. The wit, the realness, the charm—she became one of my favorite main characters immediately. I also can’t even begin to express the bonus points and excitement when Joe Jonas was mentioned. Overall, I think the personal reflection that this story focused on was genuine, inquisitive, funny, and *warm*. I also loved Bels breakdown and admittance and the reveal that the journal was started for bel and not for her. The realization that the “perfect” person makes mistakes is so important and needs to be talked about more—Recognizing and honoring the greatness of both flexibility and tenacity was such a great climax for me. However, I was basically in tears when Georgie started talking to her parents and they talked about the different advantages in life and her “soft place to land”. It gave me a perspective on my parents that I didn’t have before and brought me so much comfort and appreciation. Liam and Evans first honest talk brought up a lot of personal feelings as I’m in the process of forming a relationship with my estranged siblings right now.
I think this is a must read in 2023!

The story of Georgie and Levi. She is back in her hometown to help out her best friend, and while she is there finds a friendfic from the past. She sets out to try and do the things she wrote about, and becomes friends with town hermit Levi along the way, as she discovers who she really is.
A great read, can't wait for the next book from this author.

Classic tale of a girl moving home from the big city to reinvent herself. Along the way she meets a grumpy guy with an adorable dog. I especially enjoyed the dual POV. Thanks NetGalley for the advanced copy!

I have been a fan of Kate Clayborn's writing since I first read Love Lettering in 2020, and ever since then she continues to impress. In my opinion, Georgie, All Along is her best book to date.

I loved Georgie and Levi's story. They're both determined to prove that they are more than the sum of the mistakes, both to their hometown and to their harshest critics, themselves.

Levi is all about living a simple and stable life, but he can't help but be charmed by Georgie. Georgie is immediately attracted to Levi, and it doesn't take her long to figure out there is more to him than his seemingly tough exterior. Levi is a softy, the sweetest man to his dog, Hank, and willing to help Georgie fulfill her teenage dreams; a list of wishes she concocted with her best friend, Bel, before starting high school.

Along the way, they start to open up to one another, to share their fears and insecurities, and of course, to fall in love. Obviously, it's not that easy, but their love was never in question and the third act conflict helps us see all the personal growth Georgie has gained and helps Levi finally let go of his childhood demons.

Georgie, All Along was a fantastic read; I adored Georgie and Levi, and all of their supporting characters, and I really hope we get to see more of them in the future.

This latest Romance from Kate Clayborn was a departure from her Love Lettering style. I really enjoyed that series and was anxious to read this one. Although it is different it is just as solid if not better.

A small town girl returns home after she has had an unexpected turn with her career. Georgie heads home to help her best friend and find out what she wants to do with her life. Unexpectedly she finds herself sharing her parents home with the town grump, and hermit Levi Fanning. Back in their high school days Levi was known as a trouble maker. Georgie runs across a notebook/diary from high school that included several plans that she made with her best friend. She decides to complete the list in an effort to find out what she wants to do next.

This story was more than a romance, it is a story about overcoming the past and living in the moment. The chemistry between these two was palpable and definitely had some spice!! I thought that the journey Georgie went on was inspiring and relatable. A really great story !!

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalley #Georgie,AllAlong #KAteClyborn

I really enjoyed Love Lettering, so I was excited to get this eARC, and it did not disappoint. I’m a sucker for a small town girl who returns home after adventures in the city. I love Georgie’s journey of figuring herself out, and Levi’s journey too.

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for this advanced copy.

Kate Clayborn's books are just getting better and better. I loved her last one, but Georgie, All Along is just so wonderful and heartwarming, I think it might be my new Clayborn favorite.

Georgie returns home with no plans only to find Levi, local badboy with a reputation, staying at her parents place while they are out of town. And they just click. It is so lovely reading this story of two people coming together and overcoming literally decades of issues to see how they can move forward together. I love how Clayborn made the walls high, but not insurmountable, for these two. Levi is such a grump but for so many good reasons and Georgie was such a sunshine to everyone around her. The two couldn't be a better match.

And the cast of characters in this were great! I don't think this is a series, but I would love to read more about Levi's siblings, Georgie's parents, literally any of the guys on Levi's crew, etc. Clayborn has built a wonderful hometown setting on the river, one I hope she considers returning to.

I'm glad I took a little bit of time with this book, it was a warm blanket I really needed. I can't wait for the next one!

I adored this immensely!! Ali Hazelwood recommended this, so I figured that I would love it just based on her review alone, and I was SO HAPPY to find what she’d said was true. It’s so well written, and the characters were amazing! I also loved the vibe of Georgie’s hometown, I just could… I felt like I was there while I was reading, and it was wonderful!! I want Levi to make me a dock so I can sit out on the river!

I really loved this book! It’s the first one I’ve read by Kate Clayborn and I absolutely loved the two main characters. Going on Georgie’s journey to figure herself out was really satisfying, and Levi is such a sweetheart who deserves all the good things!!!! And Hank! Definitely would recommend! Have the tissues ready though, I cried so much reading this on the plane!

Why are you reading this review when you’re wasting precious time you could be using to be reading Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn? This book was absolutely perfect (fabulous, amazing, insert all the adjectives) in so many ways, and honestly I’m just sad that it couldn’t go on forever and ever. They way I want to be best friends with Georgie, and that we must protect our new book boyfriend Levi Fanning at all costs – fight me on this but he was just so wonderful and them together *chef’s kiss* I really don’t have words for how much I enjoyed this book, and Kate Clayborn is always an automatic buy for me, and she should be for you too! She knocks it out of the park with her storytelling, and ability to have you relate to her characters. So you should definitely not be reading this review anymore, and should have already started reading “Georgie” and then shouting from the rooftops how much you love this book and that everyone should read it!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided to me through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Kate Clayborn and Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

There's a reason Kate Clayborn is one of my top five favourite romance writers. And Georgie, All Along just became reason number one.

Georgie Mulcahy is coming home from her job as a Personal Assistant to an acclaimed director and screenwriter. Forever putting others before herself, anticipating needs and getting the job done with maximum flexibility has been her thing. But now, she doesn't have the thing. She has a blank page where her future should be. So when she happens upon a long ago list of things she hoped to accomplish, Georgie feels like it's a place to start.

But not long after she sets foot in her small town she meets Levi Fanning. His reputation as the town bad boy precedes him, but now he's just a quiet, grumpy man who keeps to himself. When their paths cross in the most unlikeliest of ways, Georgie and Levi find that the more time they spend together, the more they understand each other. The town may have stereotyped them, but Georgie and Levi find a way to see past all that.

This book is smart, and deeply emotional. No one writes an internal dialogue like Kate Clayborn. You feel the hearts and souls of Levi and Georgie, and connect to these characters immediately. You're so drawn into the world she creates that time stands still while you turn the pages. Clayborn crafts a gentle story that blows you away with it's sentiment. Her writing is so honest you sometimes have to stop and take a breath. Georgie, All Along is her best work yet.

This book was a dose of happiness at exactly the right time! A fun, funny and beautifully written romance that had depth and heart. The characters were engaging and loveable and the story shines. Super enjoyable read from a very solid author in the genre.

I loved Georgie! In other hands Georgie would likely have shallow and not very likable. Kate Clayborn did a great job with this character as she was free spirited without being flaky, fun loving without being ditzy, and searching without being needy. Her relationship with her best friend was another great aspect of this read. Bel seems to have it all together with her marriage, house, career, and baby on the way. However just like her otherwise perfect home has a room that is crammed with extra things it was refreshing to see this reflected in Bel’s life and personality.

While I liked Levi, part of his story felt a bit forced and there was a spark missing for me. He was a good counterpoint to Georgie as his past and present reflect the extremes that Georgie could have fallen into but didn’t.

Overall this is a very fast read, with likable and relatable characters.

Kate Clayborn is a romance author beloved by romance authors for a reason -- she's just the best. Georgie is a lovable mess, and Levi is exactly the sort of soft-spoken man-with-a-reputation you want to be your romantic hero. I was enamored of Levi and his sweet dog, and while Georgie isn't my favorite sort of heroine, I loved the relationship she developed with Levi. The side characters here are compelling and lovely--Georgie's parents and her best friends Bel & Henry are irresistible.

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @kensingtonbooks for an early copy of Georgie, All Along by Kaye Clayborn. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Georgie, All Along tells the story of Georgie, a long time personal assistant who has just been laid off. With nothing for her in LA, she goes back to her hometown. At her best friend Bell’s house, she finds their long-forgotten diary/friendfic where they have filled (mostly Georgie). This friendfic has inspired her to find herself and what she wants to be after so long of putting others before herself due to the nature of her career, and fulfill the goals she has written on there as a teenager. Enter Levi Fanning, a known troublemaker in their hometown, who offers to help her with her quest. As they tick off items on her list, she begins to realize that not everything she wants is on her diary/fic.

The story was dragging for me. I struggled to read through the first chapters up until the end, and I honestly thought Levi was a creeper with upon realization of his attraction to Georgie, he kept saying in his head “mine, mine, mine”. His initial thoughts put me off the romance between him and Georgie, and while their banter and humor was amusing, I couldn’t get that thought out of my head.

With all those aside, I did love the characters Georgie and Levi, and Hank has my heart 🐶. It was fun to see Georgie and Levi grow and discover themselves individually together; I found Levi to have the most character development in this novel though, and his past was quite intriguing.

The pacing of the story was quite slow for me, and I felt like it could have been shortened. There are a lot of parts that could have been skipped or summarized, but overall an enjoyable story.

Rating Georgie, All Along ⭐⭐⭐/5. Releases January 24th, 2023!

I started reading this on Christmas Eve as a little treat to myself. The summer heat of the story was also a great antidote to the sub-zero temperatures at my in-law's midwestern home.

Kate Clayborn continues to write superb books. Georgie has returned to her hometown after being a successful personal assistant to a Hollywood big shot. Her best friend has moved back and is pregnant, so Georgie's going to help her out. Levi is the brother of Georgie's HS crush and the black sheep of a prominent local family.

There's so much to enjoy. Georgie is at loose ends when she comes home. She'd fallen into the PA gig and, while she's great at it, she just doesn't know where to go next. But she has her friend and her parents to support her. Levi has a successful business and after a chaotic youth pushing against a terrible father, has leveled out. Even if it means he doesn't have a relationship with his siblings.

This is a story about finding your place in the world. Pushing and pulling the fabric of reality until it sits comfortably around you, in just the right ways. It's sweet, and funny, and horny, and sexy, and so emotional. It's got all the things. It's a treat and I can't wait for my library to get it on audio so I can have it read to me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a delightful story! I absolutely loved Georgie and Levi, and Bel makes such a good foil for Georgie, too. The grumpy/sunshine trope is a lot of fun here, and Georgie's parents lend a light touch of humor, as well. Georgie's voyage of self-discovery as she, Bel, and later, Levi, attempt to fulfill her high school bucket list is funny and poignant. By the end of the novel, both she and Levi have discovered their true selves, peeling away layers of guilt and shame and the burden of trying to meet the expectations of others, and realizing that the traits they thought were flaws in themselves could actually be strengths. They bring to light their true callings, repair damaged family relationships, and find love and "a soft place to land" in each other. Kate Clayborn's skilled writing drives the story along at just the right pace, and it's a joy to read!

This ended up being a DNF at 42%. Although I enjoyed Georgie and thought Levi had strong possibilities I just felt the story lagged and back story details were too long in being revealed. That grew tiresome so I'm throwing in the towel.

29-year old Georgie moves back to her parents 'home after the famous director she has been PA for decides to retire. The trip is supposed to be temporary, to help her very pregnant best friend settle in, but after finding her high school bucket list, Georgie becomes determined to complete it. With no sense of what she wants to do with her life, she hopes completing her younger goals will give her some insight. And after a mix-up by her flaky parents, the town hermit, Levi, arrives at her parents home to house sit while they are away, her future becomes even more uncertain.

This is not the type of book I normally read, but I ended up really enjoying it! It was a little cheesy at times, but I think it is to be expected with any romance story. i enjoyed seeing the character growth of Levi and Georgie and all the undertone story arcs of how it is ok to not know what your future holds.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.