Throughout this whole book I was sitting at a 4⭐️- 5⭐️ rating. Now I know, what could possibly make me change my rating from 5 starts to 3???? Let me tell you.

This book had the opportunity to be so much more but also less at the same time??? I felt that there was too much going on and too many different storylines that it was hard for me to stay focused. With that, every plot point/storyline felt surface level, insubstantial if you will.

However, I will always be a sucker for a book with a queer fmc finding herself. This felt real. I truly could put myself in Lacie’s shoes (which is a terrifying place to be tbh). If you would’ve told me this book was a memoir I would’ve believed it.
I’m not saying it’s so common but we can all agree that many women are placed into societal boxes and forced to live lives that don’t truly suit them which in turn leads to later in life epiphanies. I think this book was a cool take on that notion. It wasn’t like Lacie had never had romantic thoughts about women until BOOM her husband had a stroke and now she wants to bang the first woman she sees. No, it was a true life story featuring suppressed homoerotic feelings for YEARSSSS. Even leading to an *almost* affair and how it just compounded on itself.

I think in all this book was a nice read but I was never really truly invested.

Lacie’s husband Derek has had a debilitating stroke at the age of 47. Now her life is on hold. But she ends up meeting Quinn in the hospital. Quinn becomes her friend and someone she relies on.

Quinn is fabulous. She is a bit of a hippy and she has had her share of trauma. She truly breaks your heart and at the same time she shows her amazing strength.

But don’t think she doesn’t have a big secret…she does and it could tear Lacie’s life apart.

Need a story of secrets…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel for a honest review.

Well, this was a book. I don't even know what to say except there was a reason why this one took me a while to get through and read. It was just dense. I got tired of the long winded chapters via Quinn and Lacie. I felt like there was just way too much going on and not enough at the same time. I think in the end the book jumps two years and I did not give a crap. The ending was a wash for me. I think some people will read it one way or the other and try to find a happy ending there, I just felt glad I was finally done. I just felt like most of the book was bloated and didn't really work.

And I wanted there to just be more there between Lacie and Derek. He felt like a cartoon villain of a husband and I just didn't get why no one ever really seemed to call him out for what he was doing and saying.

There was no there there between Lacie and Quinn. The latter relationship felt really tacked on and so not believable. I think even Netflix wouldn't try to bring this book to life because it just started to read more and more absurd after a while. And I think I should have felt something for these two characters when you read everything they go through, but I just found both characters to be so flat I just didn't care how things ended.

"All This Can Be True" well that title is said not once, not twice, but I believe four times by the two characters. This book follows Lacie Johnson. She's flying back with her husband Derek and realizes after 20 something years, she wants a divorce. Unfortunately, Derek has a stroke and Lacie is left in limbo and trying to hold things together for her two daughters. While waiting on news about her husband, she runs into a former musician, Quinn. Quinn has a connection to Lacie's family, and just doesn't know it. The book follows the two women as they find themselves needing each other more and both dealing with the grief they are both respectively feeling concerning their pasts and presents.

Eh, I said enough about this two above. There's no there there.

The book flow was pretty bad. It jumps back and forth between Lacie and Quinn and then of course their points of views about each other and their other friendships/relationships/etc.

The ending takes a while to get to. I think if I was invested I would have cared more, but instead just felt over it at the 25 percent mark of this book.

Quinn is dealing with a lot of loss and decides to take a cross country trip, stopping on the way to tell the father of her deceased child that she has died. Lacie is struggling with her feelings for her husband when he suffers a stroke and goes into a coma. The two end up coming together to provide each other with support and sparks fly. This book offers a lot and is a good read as is. But, I kept getting snagged on the feeling that Lacie only turns to women when she is disappointed in men. Like they are her second choice. I don't care what gender my partner is, I don't want to be their back-up plan! I did like how after all the turmoil, the story ended. The characters all grew and became better people. This made the book a worthy read.

This was unfortunately just not for me. I was expecting a domestic thriller and it was more of a slow gay love story. Nothing wrong with it, just not what I was expecting.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. All views and opinions are my own.

“Sometimes the only way to love people is to stay out of their lives completely.” I think this quote (among many others) resonated with me the most while reading “All This Can Be True.” Lacie’s and Quinn’s emotional journeys of grief, love and healing were well-written and relatable. I appreciate how the author wrote their respective points of view of each character, and retained their unique voices that allowed the reader to truly empathize with them, but not without glossing over the flaws and imperfections.

This book he so much potential but it appears the author lost her way and by the end of the book I had no idea what I was reading.

Definitely a page turner. So engaging, and so so tender. There's so much drama and hurt, but also so much healing. The characters took a while to fully grow on me, but they were very written, and so fleshed out they felt very real. There is definitely a lot of things that frustrated me, but at the same time I get it, and it all makes sense. It was a really fun read overall, a little slow to get into, but definitely worth it.

tender, sweet, interesting novel with some deeply flawed and very believable protagonists. the romance is believable and well-written. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

This is a family drama; lots of angst but also a lot of healing. The prose is good, and I loved the ending; not what I expected, which was a pleasent surprise.

A poignant exploration of grief and self-discovery, All This Can Be True follows Lacie and Quinn as they navigate loss, addiction, and identity. Their unlikely connection forces them to confront their pasts and redefine their futures.

Engaging and immersive. A recommended purchase for collections where heavier women's fic is popular.

This book was okay to me. Two people trying to navigate grief and learning their place in their changing lives. I loved watching their relationship blossom. It is a good reminder that our lives can end up so different from what we plan. I just felt like something was missing to really make this book great instead of just good.

An emotional, hopeful story about finding love where you least expect it.

Well written, but it was a read that was a bit harder to get through. Love the strong female characters!

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I don't think I have the bandwidth these days for alternative narrators. It's a time when I need smething easy and engaging and everytime I need to "start again" with another character's voice, it gives me pause.

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!

i really enjoyed this book!!! It tugged on the heartstrings, but also had such empowering and inspiring moments of growth and love. It was full of good themes and good writing. I really liked it!!''

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

**All This Can Be True** by Jen Michalski explores the intertwining lives of two women, Lacie and Quinn, each facing significant personal challenges. Lacie is an empty nester married to Derek, a wealthy man whose infidelities have strained their relationship. Her life takes a dramatic turn when Derek suffers a stroke, leading her to a hospital where she encounters Quinn. Quinn is a former musician grappling with profound loss, including the death of her child and mother, and the impending loss of her best friend.

As Lacie and Quinn's paths intersect amid their struggles with grief, they are compelled to confront their pasts and examine their vices and demons. This journey of self-discovery prompts them to redefine their identities and consider their futures.

This novel may resonate with readers who appreciate works such as Alison Espach’s **The Wedding People**, Claire Lombardo's **Same As It Ever Was**, Michael Cunningham’s **The Hours**, Alison B. Hart's **April May, June July**, and Coco Mellors’ works.

Content Warning: The narrative addresses sensitive topics including substance and alcohol abuse, the death of a family member, suicidal ideation, and terminal illness.

Acknowledgments to NetGalley and Turner Publishing Company/Keylight Books for providing the advance reading copy.

4.5 Stars