Review: All My Life by Prescott Lane


Note: An advanced reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author via Social Butterfly PR.

“Why didn't you ever say anything?” I ask. She gives me one of those woman looks where you know they are internally rolling their eyes. 
“Garrett, I know you. You love hard. There was only room for one woman in your life. Mia.” 
“My life, Mia, we wouldn't be where we are without you. My life doesn't happen without you. I know that,” I say.

I know I've said I've loved the other Prescott Lane books that I've read, but her latest one is my absolute favorite. I love me a well-written love story involving a single parent, but this had the addition of also being a friends-to-lovers romance, so it as like getting a great gift for your birthday and then finding out there was another equally fantastic present waiting to be unwrapped! And that's what All My Life was--this extraordinarily amazing read just waiting for me to flip from one page to the next, getting to know the cast of characters through each chapter and flashback, and in the process, this book stole my heart. If you're holding off on reading anything new or are looking for a read to give you all the feels, I promise you need not look any further than this new one from Prescott Lane.

At thirty-four, Garrett Hollis finds himself preparing to be an empty nester. For nearly eighteen years, his life has been solely focused on raising his daughter, Mia, and while he isn't too worried about what life will look like once Mia is off to college, she's worried enough about his dating life that she includes a plea for help finding him a woman in her valedictory speech. It's that very same speech that has women lining up to go out on a date with him, but the last thing Garrett wants is to play Eden Valley's version of The Bachelor. He's got his hardware store and he plans on spending more time with his retiree father, but it looks like his father agrees the time has come for Garrett to share his life with someone. The thing is, his father doesn't think he needs to look all that far for that "someone", and pretty soon, Garrett begins to figure out that the someone could be his thirty-three-year-old best friend and the owner of The Biscuit Girl diner--Devlyn Drake, the girl who's always been there for him...all her life.

Le sigh. I absolutely adored this book. It had everything I wanted and needed. Devlyn was such an awesome female lead character. She was self-assured, successful, and satisfied with her life. Yes, she'd been in love with her best friend since they were teenagers, but she was leading a good life even before they even considered crossing the line between love and friendship. She was this great source of support for both Garrett and Mia, and who doesn't love a woman who was all that and then some. And then there was Garrett... Le sigh (again). Who could resist a man who put his daughter first, was a good friend, and a loving son? He was also a part of the community just as the community was a part of him and his family. He was also honest and kind-hearted, and not once did he throw out platitudes or empty promises to Devlyn or anyone else for that matter. These two were perfect together.

Now, I know I mentioned that this had two tropes: single parent and friends to lovers; but it's also just dawned on me that this could also be considered a small town romance, and having mentioned that, the folks of Eden Valley were a good bunch. Of course, Mia and Edward Hollis--Garrett's daughter and father, respectively--were the most memorable, but there was also one character who makes an appearance. I may not have agreed with a couple of things this person had done, but they were human and I could empathize with them to a certain degree. See, no one in this book was perfect--not Garrett and Devlyn (although, like I said, they were perfect as a couple), not Mia, no one, and I liked that. I don't need perfection in the characters I encounter in the books I read. I don't even want idealized versions. I want people I can relate to and empathize with, and that's exactly what Prescott Lane gave me alongside a heartwarming story about love--for a significant other, for a child, for a parent, and for one's community--and I feel privileged to have read it. My one quibble? The cover, which has a father with a young daughter on his shoulders, and while there are flashbacks in the story, Mia was a seventeen-year-old about to become an adult for a good portion of this book. That being said, I'm still giving All My Life five-plus stars because this was about the story and its characters for me and not the cover. Consider this a highly recommended favorite. ♥

Date Read: 10 October 2018

Learn more about Prescott Lane.

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