I love Kate Clayborn's writing and Georgie, All Along confirms why. I loved the premise, the setting, and the characters. There is wit and depth, and I believed in the characters and their relationships. I will be reading this again and have already recommended it to my audience, with a podcast episode on the way!

I'm sure many of us can relate to Georgie when she ponders where she expected to be in her life but is yet to achieve all that. So now she is back to her hometown unemployed to figure it all out but meets Levi, a grumpy hero who is exactly her opposite yet brings about profound changes in her life. Their romance was so endearing and cute and their chemistry is amazing. All the characters were very likeable and that in turn made it a joy to read! Levi himself has a tragic past and is making something out of his life when he meets Georgie. Overall, super fun, heartwarming and romantic read!

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. While I may not agree with the sentiment of "An Uplifting and Unforgettable Love Story" I did enjoy the book. Seeing Levi and Georgie slowly get together and figure out what they want out of life was intriguing and the ending was quite sweet,

I picked up this arc on a quiet weekend getaway and promptly read half of it in one goddamn sitting. Kate's books hook me in so hard and reading one just makes me want to re-read them all again. Georgie leaps fully-formed from the pages along with Levi and I so enjoyed jumping between their perspectives as they figured each other out. Every side character felt fully-developed and I would read a SERIES of books set in this world. Olivia's story when??? I am recommending this one far and wide, what a delight.

This book lived up to all the hype and all of my expectations for it. I love a cinnamon roll of a book boyfriend and Levi is so perfect for that. Add in a small town setting and I'm so sold. 5 stars, this book doesn't have perfect characters and it adds so much.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington books for access to this arc.


Georgie Mulcahy returns to her home town of Darentville, Virginia to spend some time with her best friend, Bel, and to sort out her life. She’s been working in Hollywood as a PA to a screenwriter and when said screenwriter decided to leave LA and try a less hectic life, Georgie found herself without a job and without a direction. She’s spent a lot of years looking after other people and hasn’t paid attention to herself. She feels “blank”. She doesn’t know what she wants. Coming home, even though on any view she had a successful career as a PA, feels more like failure than anything else. She has a reputation (from back in high school) as being flighty. Her parents are hippies who march to the beat of their own drum so they were no help in her quest to fit in. (That’s pretty much the only thing she lacked from them however.)

On her way into town she stops to pick up a milkshake for herself and Bel and bumps into her old music teacher, Mrs Michaels, who Does Not Approve of her in that passive-aggressive way women, especially older women, can do so well – it’s in the tone and the eyebrows I think – and Georgie just feels wretched. It does not help that she’s left her wallet in the car and can’t pay. Now she looks even more incompetent. She is “rescued” (ie he pays for the milkshakes) by a surly dude in a ball cap. He’s dusty and tired-looking, not into conversation, but also, Georgie can’t help but notice, very good-looking.

Once Georgie gets to Bel’s she feels even more lost. Annabel has a baby on the way, a new house which is all spick and span, beautiful and organised. She and her husband, Harry, have recently moved to Darentville from the DC area. They seem to have it all together. Georgie came to help but what help does Bel really need? There is one room in the house which is disorganised though and when going through it for Bel, Georgie finds an old “friend fic” that the pair did in middle school and into high school. It was full of plans for things they would do in school – large and small rites of passage that teenagers often went through in the Darentville area (for example, writing a wish in Sharpie on your arm and jumping off Buzzard’s Neck dock) and also full of Georgie’s fantasies about her teen crush – Evan Fanning, the local golden boy.

All those things she and Bel wrote? Well, they didn’t end up doing any of them. Evan Fanning certainly never took her to prom. But now, maybe Georgie can revisit some of the fic, with tasks brought up to date for the present day of course and by doing so, maybe she will be able to fill in the blank and decide what’s next. She feels like she should have a plan. That’s how to be a successful grown-up, right? But she is at a loss, so maybe the fic will kick start the plan-making.

Georgie’s parents are out of town on one of their many road trips and Georgie will look after their plants and the house while she’s in town. Remember when I said that Georgie’s parents march to the beat of their own drum? Well, as it happens, they’ve also arranged another housesitter; Levi Fanning. The grumpy guy from the milkshake shop.

Levi is Evan’s older brother. He’s the screw up. The one who got in trouble as a teenager and was sent away. He doesn’t have a relationship with his family anymore and it’s a pain point for him. He doesn’t talk much and certainly not about what happened when he was young. Levi lives a stable, structured life. A small life. Georgie terrifies him but also fascinates him because she is so expansive. Everything about Georgie is large and open and chaotic. Georgie lives in the now. Levi is always thinking of the next thing.

Levi builds and maintains docks in the Darentville area. He and his rescue pit bull, Hank, are a pretty self-contained team. (Hank is awesome.) But then he meets Georgie.

For a few days, they share a house, bumping awkwardly around each other, feeling the chemistry they have but not sure what to do with it. Levi makes some mistakes and needs to apologise but he does it well and Georgie senses he’s, in some ways, something of a kindred spirit. For different reasons both of them are searching for their place, both of them feel they don’t fit, they don’t measure up.

As Bel is heavily pregnant, she cannot do quite a few of the things Georgie picks out of the friend fic but Levi eventually volunteers to be her wingperson. Mostly this gives Georgie and Levi opportunity to spend time together.

While I didn’t get into the trouble Levi did as a teen, I related more to Levi than Georgie; I’m more into stable structure – chaos scares me. Georgie is the kind of person I’d like to be around and whom I’d admire for all of the qualities she has that I don’t, but I sometimes found it difficult to understand where she was coming from. I admit I didn’t quite see how the fic was going to give her any answers and in the end, I thought it was a bit of a McGuffin. Still, over the course of the book, Georgie realises who she is and her journey to self-acceptance was relatable.

I enjoyed the friendship Georgie had with Bel and how it had expanded to include Harry. The history that Bel and Georgie shared and that “ride or die” that she and Bel were for each other was great to read.

“Who you are is wonderful,” she says, and of course I love her for it. But I don’t want a murder defense at this moment. Sometimes, someone loves you so much that they can’t quite see you clearly. Right now, Mrs. Michaels might be more right about me than Bel is, and that’s a bummer, since Mrs. Michaels truly sucks.

Georgie also develops friendships with others in the area – most particularly Evan and Olivia – Levi’s siblings. This creates some tension of course because of the estrangement between Levi and his family.

The book is split about 50/50 between POVs from both Georgie and Levi. I’m a hero-centric reader and, as I said above, I found Levi easier to understand and relate to so of course, I enjoyed his sections more. I loved his baffled attraction, his reluctant welcome of Georgie into his life. How he couldn’t help it. That’s catnip to me. As much as I’m a hero-centric reader, a lot of what I like about a hero is bound up in what he thinks of his love interest I’ve realised. Like here:

I pretty much pay attention to all of it, but also, she came out of the bathroom with that robe on again, loosely tied over a pair of sweat shorts and another one of those tank tops that’s been sent to murder me. I probably miss a few things.

And I’m sure I miss more than a few things once the movie gets started, including a good number of people getting murdered by things other than tank tops.
Levi stumbles quite a few times in his courtship with Georgie. He’s not used to peopling. He’s not used to acceptance. He’s not used to talking or explaining himself. And, when threatened, he tends to close up which is kind of the opposite of what Georgie needs. But he’s so all in for Georgie he stretches those emotional muscles and along the way, finds his own self-acceptance.

Levi talks to Georgie but he will never be gregarious like her. And she doesn’t require it of him. They fit together nonetheless. Every now and then though, Georgie will tempt him to step a little outside of his comfort zone and he finds his world getting bigger and bigger.

All of this is wrapped with beautiful writing which kind of sneaks up on you and then hits you between the eyes..

Grade: B/B+

I don’t read much m/f romance these days, but I’m always up for one of Kate Clayborn’s because they’re so thoughtful and tender and honest. She writes complex, well-drawn characters who are dealing with relatable, real-life problems, and while not ‘flashy’ or full of drama, her books nonetheless pack a real emotional punch. Her newest release, Georgie, All Along seems to be a retread of the ‘protagonist returns to small home-town and finds love and a new direction in life’ trope – and, to an extent, it is – but in Ms. Clayborn’s capable hands the story transcends the trope and becomes something simultaneously deeper and refreshingly different.

Georgie Mulcahy always had a reputation for being a bit flaky and unreliable in her hometown of Darentville, Virginia. She didn’t amount to much at school and never had any real ambitions beyond it; but her ability to live completely in the ‘now’, to adapt and to think on her feet proved to be exactly suited to working as a PA to high-powered (and high-maintenance) intensely creative – and often intensely chaotic – people in the entertainment industry. For the past three years, she’s worked for Nadia, a well-known screenwriter and director, but when Nadia decides – spontaneously – to retire, Georgie is left at a loose end, coming face to face with the fact that she’s never really had a plan for what to do with her life. With Nadia’s suggestion that she can take the time to do “all the things you want to do”, Georgie decides to head back home for a little while, spend some time with her best friend and her family while she works out what she wants to do next.

Arrived in Darentville, Georgie stops at what she remembers as the general store but which she is surprised to find is now somewhat more upmarket than it used to be. In fact, the whole town seems to have undergone a transformation, the slightly shabby place she remembers giving way to new housing and shops and the signs of a flourishing tourism trade. It’s this ‘renewal’ that has drawn her best friend, Bel, back there, to a new life in a new home with her husband and their soon-to-be family (Bel is eight months pregnant). Georgie decides to buy them a couple of strawberry milkshakes – hopefully they’re as good as she remembers – only to be realise she’s left her purse in her car. Embarrassed – she’s only been back in town less than a hour and already she’s living up to people’s memories and expectations of her as a total flake – she’s checking her pockets just in case, when a guy wearing scruffy work clothes and an irritated expression, steps in to pay for the shakes so he can buy his own stuff and be on his way. The guy is pretty dismissive when she says she’ll pay him back; that, and the knowing looks on the face of the other customer – one of her former teachers – only bolsters Georgie’s determination that when she leaves town this time, she’s going to have figured herself out and worked out what she really wants.

One of the things Georgie had banked on was being able to help Bel out in some way – maybe with unpacking or getting the nursery ready – so she’s a bit disappointed to discover that Bel is on top of everything and doesn’t really need her help at all. She brightens a little when Bel takes her to a room full of boxes and bags that she realises contain a lot of stuff from when Bel was younger – and becomes excited when she finds the notebook containing their eighth grade ‘friendfic’, story after story about what they’d do once they got to high school, surprised to discover her teenaged brain teeming with ideas – albeit on a small scale – about her future. She decides to take it home with her – maybe she’ll be able to work out what happened to that girl (who had actual intentions) – and decides that if she can make some of her teenage dreams come true, she’ll be able to get closer to finding a new path for herself.

Georgie’s parents – who are retired – are away on one of their regular road-trips, so Georgie isn’t expecting company when she goes back home, but she’s in the middle of reading through the fic when she hears a key turning in the lock and the familiar creak of the door sticking before it opens to reveal the guy from the store. And his huge, lumbering dog Hank, who barrels right in.

Levi Fanning is the black sheep of his well-to-to family as well as being Darentville’s ‘bad boy’ – despite being in his thirties and the owner of a successful business. He’s also the older brother of Evan, on whom Georgie once had a massive crush, and is clearly as surprised to find Georgie in the house as she is to see him there. It turns out that her dad had offered him the use of the house for a few weeks because his own is having some badly needed repairs done – and had forgotten to tell Georgie about it. As a set up, I admit it feels a bit contrived, but once we meet Georgie’s lovingly chaotic, free-spirited parents, it becomes perfectly plausible.

Georgie and Levi embody certain romance novel stereotypes (she’s the ‘quirky’, ‘flighty’ heroine, who travels with belongings in trash bags in the back of her car and doesn’t have a Plan; he’s a grumpy, shy loner with a troubled past), and one of the things I really enjoyed about the story is the way the author shows that Georgie’s ‘flightiness’ is part of what made her so very good at her job, how her adaptability, intuitiveness and creativity are great strengths. Levi’s backstory emerges slowly, but his bad reputation is down to his going through a more than rebellious phase that continued into young adulthood which has led to his being estranged from his family. In the years since, he’s worked hard to make something of himself and to dispel that old image – but the locals have long memories and he keeps himself pretty much to himself now, keeping his head down, doing his job and kind of creeping around the edges of life, believing he doesn’t deserve anything more. By contrast, Georgie comes from a loving – if somewhat scatty – family, who always loved and supported her, giving her the space to make mistakes and be a mess – but it’s only now that she starts to see that what they were really encouraging her to be was herself.

These two are authentic and honest with one another and are prepared to give each other time and space when they need it. I loved that Levi is able to really see Georgie when others – even those closest to her – aren’t always able to, and that while Georgie always calls Levi on his bullshit she’s never aggressive or unkind. She doesn’t push him for more than he’s comfortable sharing but also makes it clear why she’s calling him out and that she wants to understand and help if she can. They both make mistakes – Levi, in particular, makes some choices I wasn’t happy about – but when they do, they take responsibility for them and do their best to fix them.

This is one of those books where nothing much ‘happens’ but where there’s a lot going on under the surface. The relationships – Georgie and Bel (the revelation as to the origins of the friendfic is just brilliant), Georgie and her parents and, of course, Georgie and Levi – are all beautifully written, and the romance is poignant and charming.

Georgie, All Along is a treat of a read, a wonderful story of love and self discovery to sink into and get lost in.

Grade: 4.5 stars / B+

After a very slow start, in which I didn't feel a lot of chemistry between the lead characters, 𝗚𝗘𝗢𝗥𝗚𝗜𝗘, 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗚 totally surprised me and pulled out a win!

I absolutely loved Georgie, with all of her perceived flaws, and how her perception of those flaws shifts as the story progresses. And Levi is such a complex and ultimately lovable lead. These two go through character change and growth that left me feeling inspired and so happy!

𝗚𝗘𝗢𝗥𝗚𝗜𝗘, 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗚 tackles some tough topics, but has very funny moments too!

The female friendship between Georgie and her best friend is EVERYTHING. I loved every second of it.

This book is well worth reading through the slowish beginning to get to the meat of the story and the perfect HEA. 𝗚𝗘𝗢𝗥𝗚𝗜𝗘, 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗚 is a heartwarming, sweet, and very feelsy romance that really won me over!

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟: Rated PG-13 / Only 1 descriptive sex scene, may have harsh language.
𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗦: past drug addiction, family estrangement, past verbally abusive parent, brief mention of past poor treatment in psych facility
𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗟𝗦: 4/5 - Tackled some seriously tough topics.

Georgie has always put everyone else's lives first, working as a personal assistant. When her boss quits, she tells Georgie to take some time away for herself to enjoy life and work out what she wants to do. Heading to her childhood home to see her pregnant best friend, Georgie finds herself with an unexpected roommate, Levi, after a slip up by her parents double booking their house. Both Levi and Georgie have their own personal issues to sort through but when feelings get involved, it gets complicated.

Oh my heart - this book was everything. I absolutely adored it! The author has a magic way with words, making you want to just keep on reading. Georgie and Levi both, were great characters and I loved how the reader was shown their personal growth throughout the book. Georgie's bestie and her parents and Hank the dog were also fantastic supporting characters. I guarantee you'll love this book. It gets all the stars from me!

Georgie, All Along is a wise and witty contemporary romance with timely questions about love, career, and reconciling with the past. This well-written romance is sure to leave you wanting more.

Struggling with how to rate this. It was a pretty solid 3.5 star for me, enjoyable but nothing to write home about. Yet at the same time I know some folks who will love it. It just was missing something for me and I’m honestly not sure what.

After years working around the clock for big names in Hollywood, Georgie Mulcahy returns to her small Virginian hometown to figure out how to fill in her blanks. Her—now former—employer has decided to step out of the limelight, and Georgie isn’t ready to jump right back into a similar personal assistant gig.

Her plan is to go home, help her pregnant best friend settle in, take care of her parents’ house while they are away, and maybe feel less like a disappointment. But, as these things go, nothing is what she expected. Her town is not so shabby anymore; her friend appears to have everything under control; and her parents’ house? Yeah, it’s not empty.

Hello, forced proximity goodness. Enter Levi Fanning. He’s grumpy and closed off and is carrying around his own sense of being a disappointment along with a heap load of guilt.

They have, well, a not-so-meet-cute. (Did I mention he is grumpy?) But Levi, oh, Levi—he has the sweetest dog and the sweetest heart. And I am head-over-heals in love with him. (Levi, that is, but also with Hank, his dog, as well.)

And so, as Georgie tries to find her place with the help of a years-old journal she kept with her best friend, she finds herself standing alongside Levi. And maybe right next to Levi is where Georgie was supposed to be all along.

There’s more to the story of course—there always is—but that’s why you need to read the book for yourself.

I don’t think anyone else writes like Kate Clayborn and I mean that in the best of ways. She certainly knows how to bring the swoon. And pull at your heartstrings. And make your chest expand with all the warm fuzzies.

May we all be lucky enough to find someone that sees us the way Levi views Georgie. May we feel the solidity of the wooden dock under our feet and the whimsy of wearing a soap opera robe. May we be fortunate enough to find ourselves and our forever.

I received an advance copy from Kensington Books and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

Have you ever kept a diary or a journal?

I’ve tried several times over the years to keep a journal, but when I was a teenager my mom would read it so I never really trusted keeping it.

Georgie has made a career out of putting others before herself. She unexpectedly finds herself back in her hometown and is faced with having to determine what her wants actually are. When she’s helping a friend unpack, she comes across her “friendfic” diary she wrote as a teenager. She’s determined to hash out the plans she had for herself. She hits a snag in the form of the notorious town troublemaker now town hermit. Despite his grouchiness he pledges to help Georgie with her journey. Will she figure herself out along the way? And maybe there is more to her hermit than meets the eye.

This was my first Kate Clayborn book, and it will not be the last. This one cheered me up on a crazy day. I loved this book. I’m not typically a fan of slow burn romance, but I am a sucker for grouch/sunshine so this one just worked for me. I especially loved the redemption qualities and showing that it is possible to turn things around for ourselves. The chemistry between the main characters was on point! It’s easy to think about what others think we should be doing with our lives, but its important to remember we should do things that work for us.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Kensington Books (@kensingtonbooks), NetGalley (@netgalley), and the author, Kate Clayborn (@kateclayborn.author) for this e-ARC in exchange for this review.

Make sure to grab yourself a copy Feb 10th!

This was such a cute and heartfelt book. It wasn't my favorite. Some parts were slow to get through, but overall it was a good read. Georgie and Levi are stuck. She feels stagnant with her life, as though she hasn't changed since she left town. He feels regret towards his rebellious past, with it still following him, although he has long since matured. Georgie recently lost her job and after finding her old journal, she sets off to complete the things she once wished for as a teenager and Levi decides to help her with some of it. I liked the main characters and the side characters as well as the writing in the story, but something just didn't hit home.

This is my first book by the author and so I didn't know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this book. It was such a sweet romance and I loved all the characters. I look forward to checking out more from thus author.

4.5 but rounding it up for Hank

I would first like to apologize to everyone for not reading this months ago. I was thrilled to receive this arc and I just didn't get the chance to read it before its release day. But now that I've finally read this, all I'll say is that it met all my high expectations. It reads a bit differently than Love Lettering, but I think I loved it just as much.

Georgie, Levi, and all the wonderful characters were so...expansive (IYKYK). There were many places in this story where I found myself tearing up, but the one that really got to me was the conversation Georgie has with her parents about 'soft landings'. It was so beautiful and heartbreaking. I was sobbing, your honour.

I love all Kate Clayborn books and this one is now included. Such a cute story of Georgie trying to find herself with the help of quiet and grumpy Levi. Levi was such a great character and his love for dog Hank really topped off him being a top 10 book boyfriend. Definitely check this one out if you are looking for a cute romance with a little bit of spice.

It's a wonderfully written novel. Not only are Georgie and Levi rounded characters, but many of the supporting characters are fleshed out as well. Hank, Levi’s dog, is the show stealer here. While I found Georgie and Levi falling for each other to be extremely quick, I also understood why. Not only is it close proximity, but Levi successfully forged a new path while Georgie is trying to do the same with goals she made when she was younger. They’re both also still trying to find worth in the eyes of the people around them. 

Clayborn provides a compelling message through Georgie’s journey of self-discovery. It resonated with me, and at one point I had tears. For a few days, I lived vicariously through Georgie and was reminded of my own self-worth. (4.5 stars rounded to 5 stars)

Georgie, who has made a career out of fulfilling others’ needs, find herself jobless and back in the last place she really wants to be, to help her pregnant best friend. There she meets Levi, older brother of her high school crush, and initial awkwardness and wariness gradually becomes something more.

The above is a very anodyne description, because my words cannot do justice to what is a beautifully layered and lyrical novel. It’s a well-trampled trope, this one - woman returns to small town from big city and gets more than she bargained for - but here it feels fresh, nuanced, developed in a way that draws the reader in and makes them feel all the big emotions along with the characters. We get both Georgie’s and Levi’s voices, as they wrestle with the events of their pasts affecting their present and future choices, and a wonderful supporting cast including Hank, whose contribution to the story should not be overlooked. I could hardly put it down, and the way it ends, with the full meaning of the title finally becoming clear… such a satisfying read, which I will think about for a while and doubtless return to in the future.

Thank you (no, really, THANK YOU) to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

I’d first like to thank @kateclayborn.author & @netgalley for the opportunity to read this gem . I seen a lot of myself in Georgie . I think this book is the epitome of what it means for to outsiders that don’t fit anywhere , but perfectly together. 🧩I liked how they wanted to make a mark and ended up marking on each other . Levi’s such a well rounded character with a troubled past , but he comes alive with her . 🥹💛They balance each other out - chaotic / laidback tidy , talkative/ not , grumpish / sunshine , etc. I think it also shows a lot of aspects of found family for both as well as finding oneself . I truly think this book is just very beautifully written and the story between the pages is really something special. 📖