All the Little Lights

by Jamie McGuire

Elliot Youngblood and Catherine Calhoun meet in their preteen years and become great friends. They spend the summer together going on walks while Elliot captures everything with his camera. Then something tragic happens to Catherine, Elliot has left without saying goodbye and without being there for her when she needs him the most.

Years later at the start of their senior year of high school Elliot returns. This time he is here to stay but he has to find a way to win back Catherine’s trust and heart. It is not an easy task as they don’t have as much in common anymore. Elliot is an all star athlete and Catherine spends all her time helping her mother with the bed and breakfast they now own. Not just that but Catherine has secrets that aren’t hers to share but are hers to keep.

After a local tragedy, Elliot becomes a suspect and Catherine has to decide if Elliot is worth risking it all for.

I really enjoyed this book. I went in to the book without reading the synopsis; all I knew was it was a YA, a thriller, and by an author I love. As I was reading I kept guessing what was going on (I was never right, by the way). The point of perspective changes between Elliot and Catherine so you get a really well rounded story. Throughout the book the characters deal with a lot besides what is happening in the main story line. Such as racism because Elliot is a POC (person of color), divorce, abuse - both mental and physical, bullying and mental health issues. I love that so many things can be tackled in one book without destroying the narrative. I cannot gush more about this story. After reading as many books as I have this year (almost 100) the book has to be truly amazing in order for me to rate it 5 stars. All the Little Lights has been on my mind since I finished it weeks ago. I find my self dreaming about it at night or thinking during the day about all the little details that are now clicking together and making more sense. As soon as I finished this book I immediately wanted to pick it back up and start it over.

Although this book is not like Jamie McGuire’s romance books, which she’s known most for, it is absolutely astonishing. Between this book and Red Hill, Jamie McGuire has proved she can write in a span of genres and flourish.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Reviewed by Nicole

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