Authors: Mikki Daughtry and Rachael Lippincott
Genre: Romance; YA; Contemporary
Rating: 8.5/10
Kyle and Kimberly. Quarterback and head cheerleader. Though they may be the typical high school couple, Kyle has only ever known life with Kimberly. And so, during the night of their graduation, when Kimberly decides to end things with Kyle, his entire world turns upside down–literally. Their car crashes, and when Kyle wakes up, Kimberly is dead. He is devastated. But more than that, he doesn’t know what to do next with his life. And then he finds… Marley.
All This Time is a really interesting book, and I enjoyed it more than I expected. I am not a huge fan of contemporaries because many times, the plot is predictable and the characters are not well-developed. This, however, was a really great read. The whole story gave me the vibe of a fairytale, from the writing style to the feel-good moments, because everything felt so magical.
Initially, I did find that the book was moving quite slowly. Kyle was grieving Kimberly’s loss, and the first few chapters do feel a little repetitive after a while. I do commend the writing in this section though, because the emotions were conveyed in a very raw manner, and it really helps us feel for and with the character. Later on though, after Kyle finds Marley, the pace of the book increases and the story becomes much more intriguing to read.
The plot was just OH. MY. GOD. I did not see those twists coming at all, and when the story casually threw in some big reveals, I was astounded. Some parts of the plot do seem a little far-fetched though, and the constantly changing POVs left me confused sometimes. Some links between scenes are also not clear, and this was a minor drawback for me. However, the way the story progresses helps the reader to look past these sections and really get invested. The story was so much more than I expected from reading the description and so, I’m pleasantly surprised.
Moving on to the characters, Kyle’s personality didn’t appeal to me at the start. He seemed to be a typical teenage guy, a hopeless romantic, and apparently, quite selfish without realising it. It did make for a satisfying character arc though, because later on in the story, he realises his flaws and actively works on improving himself.
I do wish the other characters could have been given more time to come to life as well, especially his mom and Sam, because they seemed a little underdeveloped to me. At some points, the characters tell the reader about their past instead of showing their experiences, which made it slightly harder to connect with them. Looking at the story from a broader perspective though, the characters all played important roles and fit into the plot well. While I wasn’t rooting for all the characters from the start, some of them were definitely memorable.
I really enjoyed the writing style of the book. While it wasn’t exactly exceptional or unique, the character’s voice was clear. This helped us enjoy the story as it unfolded and experience the various events alongside Kyle.
In conclusion, this was a really sweet romance and a quick but enjoyable read. I’d definitely recommend this for romance and contemporary readers!
“That’s the first thing you said to me, remember? ‘Once upon a time.’”
Reviewed by: S.R. Scribbles (1st reading)
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