ARC Review Book Review

ARC Book Review | Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn

Title: Georgie, All Along
Author: Kate Clayborn
Genre: Romance
Expected On: January 24, 2023
Publisher: Kensington Books
Source: digital
Pages: 366

Synopsis:

The acclaimed author of Love Lettering weaves a wise and witty new novel that echoes with timely questions about love, career, reconciling with the past, and finding your path while knowing your true worth.

Longtime personal assistant Georgie Mulcahy has made a career out of putting others before herself. When an unexpected upheaval sends her away from her hectic job in L.A. and back to her hometown, Georgie must confront an uncomfortable truth: her own wants and needs have always been a disconcertingly blank page. 

But then Georgie comes across a forgotten artifact—a “friendfic” diary she wrote as a teenager, filled with possibilities she once imagined. To an overwhelmed Georgie, the diary’s simple, small-scale ideas are a lifeline—a guidebook for getting started on a new path. 

Georgie’s plans hit a snag when she comes face to face with an unexpected roommate—Levi Fanning, onetime town troublemaker and current town hermit. But this quiet, grouchy man is more than just his reputation, and he offers to help Georgie with her quest. As the two make their way through her wishlist, Georgie begins to realize that what she truly wants might not be in the pages of her diary after all, but right by her side—if only they can both find a way to let go of the pasts that hold them back. 

Honest and deeply emotional, Georgie, All Along is a smart, tender must-read for everyone who’s ever wondered about the life that got away . . .

My thoughts

(Spoiler free)

Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn is a a novel about embracing our messes, learning to accept those things we see as flaws, and turning them into strengths. And I am here for it. While it’s a book that is more than a romance, the romance is all the swoony goodness I want it to be, as well.

Georgie spoke to me on so many levels. We all have messes, whether they’re internal or external, and Georgie feels like her life is quite the mess at the moment, a big blank mess. Georgie haphazardly packed her life in LA into the backseat of her car, driving home to Virginia when she suddenly lost her job as a personal assistant after her boss decided to chuck life in LA for something quieter. Georgie’s returned to her hometown with plans to housesit for her parents while they’re traveling, as well as help her very pregnant best friend Bel get settled into her new home, Bel having just returned to town herself. 

When Georgie and Bel discover an old “friendfic” diary they created together among Bel’s boxes, Georgie is shook by the confident younger Georgie she discovers among its pages. A Georgie that had plans and wishes for herself, instead of just fulfilling someone else’s wishes. She decides to let the fic be a sort of guidebook as she forges a new path forward by going back.

“I’ve left crumbs on the counter, the peanut-buttered knife, too, but I can’t make myself care. It’s all part of the plan tonight, and the plan is me in my robe, eating this toast, and finding out whether it’s wishful thinking for this fic to have an answer for me.”

Kate Clayborn; Georgie, All Along

Unfortunately, just as she’s finally hopeful about making new plans, her plans are disrupted by an unexpected guest. It seems her adorably absentminded parents forgot they’d already invited someone else to housesit, the grumpy—and former town troublemaker—Levi Fanning.

And just like Georgie, Levi’s story is messy, too. But where Georgie is open and inviting, Levi is closed-off. I enjoyed the opposing balance their two stories presented, each learning to see their flaws as strengths, even when those strengths conflicted with the other’s. I was rooting for these two, trying to be oh so patient as they figured it all out. While this one is fairly predictable, I didn’t mind one bit, relishing in the familiarity and settling into the phenomenal characters Clayborn created, enjoying the several laugh-out-loud moments, as well.

It’s not only Georgie and Levi who drive this story, the side characters are well-rounded, as well, breathing even more life into our main characters, some of them even learning and changing, themselves. From Georgie’s best friend Bel to Levi’s estranged siblings, Clayborn does a good job of taking characters that seem surface-level and giving them a deeper meaning, wonderfully representing people in real life.

I can’t not mention one of the most important side characters, Levi’s faithful companion, Hank. As someone who is terrified of dogs, especially pit bulls, color me shocked to discover I was melting every time Hank made an appearance. Levi and Hank’s mutual devotion is irresistibly heartwarming.

I didn’t want this one to end, torn between not wanting to put it down and wanting it to last a little bit longer. I felt assured I would love this one since I adored Clayborn’s previous book Love at First, and I was happy to find I was right. Georgie, All Along, firmly cements Clayborn among my must-read authors!

Thank you to the publisher Kensington Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.

(All quotes are taken from the advance copy and are subject to change in final print.)

Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Indiebound | Bookshop | Amazon

About the Author

Kate Clayborn
Kate Clayborn

Kate Clayborn is the critically acclaimed author of six novels. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Oprah Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Bookpage, and more. By day she works in education, and by night (and sometimes, by very early morning) she writes contemporary romances about smart, strong, modern heroines who face the world alongside true friends and complicated families. She resides in Virginia with her husband and their dog.

A Song For A Book

While searching for an accompanying author playlist (there isn’t one), I found this interview in which Clayborn states she wanted to write a book that felt like Taylor Swift’s song “Invisible String”, and that book eventually became Georgie, All Along. So, that’s the song I’m going with, since I’d have to say she captured the feeling perfectly.

Green was the color of the grass
Where I used to read at Centennial Park
I used to think I would meet somebody there
Teal was the color of your shirt 
When you were sixteen at the yogurt shop
You used to work at to make a little money

Time, curious time
Gave me no compasses, gave me no signs
Were there clues I didn’t see?
And isn’t it just so pretty to think
All along there was some
Invisible string
Tying you to me?
Ooh…

Have you read Georgie, All Along? Will you be adding it to your tbr? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Wandering!

11 thoughts on “ARC Book Review | Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn”

  1. I really enjoy Kate Clayborn’s books and did not know this was releasing. It sounds great and I’m adding it to my TBR. I also enjoy books where the main character is going through a mess because it gives so much hope when they come out of it much better. Lovely review!

    1. Thank you Sumedha! I adored this one! I really need to pick up more of her backlist. I feel woefully behind. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did when you get to read it!

  2. Hank was a sweetie, and Levi’s relationship with him made me adore Levi even more. Yeah, Georgie’s parents were adorable, flighty, but full of love and sweetness.

  3. This is another of those books that is on my TBR but I haven’t had time to get to it yet. Wonderful review, Dedra and I loved the song.

Leave a Reply to WendyWCancel reply