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

Comments

March Meeting

Where The Crawdad's Sing by Delia Owens For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life–until the unthinkable happens. Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Karen Russell, Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent ...

October Meeting

The book of the month was Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage Sweetness can be deceptive. Meet Hanna. She’s the sweet-but-silent angel in the adoring eyes of her Daddy. He’s the only person who understands her, and all Hanna wants is to live happily ever after with him. But Mommy stands in her way, and she’ll try any trick she can think of to get rid of her. Ideally for good. Meet Suzette. She loves her daughter, really, but after years of expulsions and strained home schooling, her precarious health and sanity are weakening day by day. As Hanna’s tricks become increasingly sophisticated, and Suzette's husband remains blind to the failing family dynamics, Suzette starts to fear that there’s something seriously wrong, and that maybe home isn’t the best place for their baby girl after all. No one read this book this month. It was a rough month for a lot of people in book club. November's book of the month is Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi They killed my mo...

Folsom - August Meeting

I know it has been a few months since we have updated but we decided to hit the restart button on bookclub. We were all falling into a slump of not reading and using our meetings as a hangout instead of as a book club. For our first meeting after this restart, it was Nicole's pick and she chose Folsom by Tarryn Fisher and Willow Aster. The nation as we know it is a thing of the past. With the male species on the verge of extinction, a society called the End Men is formed to save the world. Folsom Donahue is one of twelve men whose sole purpose is to repopulate the Regions. The endless days spent having sex with strangers leaves Folsom with an emptiness no amount of women, money, or status can fill. Until Gwen. Gwen has wanted a child for as long as she can remember, but when she finally gets a chance to have her own, she uncovers a long hidden truth. The injustice she sees moves her to help save the men whom no one else believes need saving. A forbid...

Search This Blog