A review by kaitrates
Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

INFINITY STARS. 

That thing you always think is a liability. You not making plans. You not always knowing the exact thing you want for the future. It's wonderful. It's the most magical thuing about you, the way you adapt. I think maybe—maybe the world takes advantage of that quality in you, Georgie. I know I have, and I know Nadia did. But it isn't your flaww Its your gift, and the only reason people don't tell you all the time is because they're too caught up in their own shit.

This one's for all the ones who've been told they're both too much and not enough. Whose brains work a little differently. Who make connections others don't and who work well under pressure. Who don't fit the mold of what was expected of them, of how a "good" student/worker/etc acted.

This one's for the ones who thrive in a little (or a lot) of chaos. Who are prone to clumsiness and messiness and who've spent much of their lives being excoriated for it.

For the ones who are always there when their friends need them but never receive the same energy back.

This one's for us.

I don't know what else to say about this beautiful, stunning, gorgeous book. Its both irreverently funny and deeply emotional. I cried so hard at times my partner texted me from another room to make sure it was *just* the book.

Georgie goes back home after her boss decides to retire. She's made a life for herself doing the things that comes naturally to her: being an agent of calm in chaos aka an assistant to Hollywood types. Being home is deeply challenging for her, something I think we don't see done well enough in most Hallmark movies and small town romances. She's unsure, doesn't know what comes next, and is haunted by a blankness she perceives in herself and is sure others see in her too.

Levi well he's got ghosts too, so similar and so different from Georgie's. He's his well-off and well-known family's black sheep. Driven by a desire to prove his abusive and negligent dad wrong, he's made a life for himself. He's quiet and spends his time working and caring for his rescued pit bull Hank (who BTW I would do literally anything for). Two misunderstood creatures keeping to themselves and making their way in a world that wants to think the worst of them.

Together, they create a a perfect little family of three.

Along the way there's an old diary with a teenager Georgie's bucket list, a lot of kissing, and a fabulous cast of characters who are so flawed and human and real.

Though Clayorn's writing is quite lyrical, its never overdone. Every word is thought out, intentional, giving exactly what the moment needs. 

The spicy scenes are spicy. The tense scenes will have you crawling out of your skin. The funny scenes will have you crying with laughter. And the heartbreaking ones? Well just have tissues ready.

I want to be myself. My in-the-moment self.

This was the absolutely perfect book to start a year in which one of my big  goals is to "Be Kait" (h/t Gretchen Rubin).

Georgie, All Along is a story of finding yourself again and of two people with very different broken parts fitting together and creating a greater whole. Its about coming home to your most authentic self yet, making peace with all that's been, and creating a richer, more love-filled future, together.
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