A review by kyamie__
All Your Perfects, by Colleen Hoover
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
“Until then, I will continue to love you more and more with every struggle we face than I loved you when all was perfect.”
Honestly didn’t know what to expect when I started reading this. Apart from a quotable quote I found in booktok, I have no idea what this book was about or who the author is. All Your Perfects is not a book of about a perfect marriage. Contrary to its title, it’s an emotionally messy read about a married couple giving what’s left of them to put the broken pieces of their marriage together. Midway, I thought to myself, ‘it’s like I don’t want to get married at all!’, lol.
Throughout the book, the author presents the reality of some married couples go through—from complicated family ties, third party issues, and dealing with one another and life together. Colleen Hoover wrote the chapters as alternating perspectives of the ‘Then’ and ‘Now. It gave me the right amount of the backstory of the budding and young romance of the couple, to what their marriage has become. I enjoyed the blissful flashbacks, and how the struggling couple cling on to the love and commitment they had in the past. Colleen definitely DID NOT sugarcoat marriage in this one.
I admire how bare and unrefined Quinn’s character is, she’s not at all the typical trophy housewife. Throughout the book, her anger, frustration, and emotions were fully exposed and written. Graham, on the other hand, is an ideal man of patience, deep devotion to his wife, and understanding. But their marriage strips off their facade, slowly uncovering the real condition of their marriage, in which they are forced to face and finally deal with.
My takeaway: Committing to a person is committing to their wholeness and brokenness. Who they were then, who they are now, and who they’ll become. Real love is the capacity to love the unlovable, not in a compromising way, but because out of love you see the person far beyond their unlikeable traits. Not as a record of their past, nor the idea of the person you painted in your head. To love and accept a person as who they are now, means to also be prepared to love the unlovable in them. Loving might be easy, but making a relationship work requires more than love, it needs mutual effort and commitment (awwww!).
Marrying someone as they are is also marrying the person who they will become.
I would recommend this read for readers seeking for character-driven stories. Quinn and Graham really served to be lovable characters who have their fair share of imperfections, but eventually makes an effort to be better for the other. However, I gave this a 4/5 rating because the ‘resolution’ part felt a bit rushed. Overall, it’s a great read (I wouldn’t recommend it for a Valentine’s day read tho!).
Honestly didn’t know what to expect when I started reading this. Apart from a quotable quote I found in booktok, I have no idea what this book was about or who the author is. All Your Perfects is not a book of about a perfect marriage. Contrary to its title, it’s an emotionally messy read about a married couple giving what’s left of them to put the broken pieces of their marriage together. Midway, I thought to myself, ‘it’s like I don’t want to get married at all!’, lol.
Throughout the book, the author presents the reality of some married couples go through—from complicated family ties, third party issues, and dealing with one another and life together. Colleen Hoover wrote the chapters as alternating perspectives of the ‘Then’ and ‘Now. It gave me the right amount of the backstory of the budding and young romance of the couple, to what their marriage has become. I enjoyed the blissful flashbacks, and how the struggling couple cling on to the love and commitment they had in the past. Colleen definitely DID NOT sugarcoat marriage in this one.
I admire how bare and unrefined Quinn’s character is, she’s not at all the typical trophy housewife. Throughout the book, her anger, frustration, and emotions were fully exposed and written. Graham, on the other hand, is an ideal man of patience, deep devotion to his wife, and understanding. But their marriage strips off their facade, slowly uncovering the real condition of their marriage, in which they are forced to face and finally deal with.
My takeaway: Committing to a person is committing to their wholeness and brokenness. Who they were then, who they are now, and who they’ll become. Real love is the capacity to love the unlovable, not in a compromising way, but because out of love you see the person far beyond their unlikeable traits. Not as a record of their past, nor the idea of the person you painted in your head. To love and accept a person as who they are now, means to also be prepared to love the unlovable in them. Loving might be easy, but making a relationship work requires more than love, it needs mutual effort and commitment (awwww!).
Marrying someone as they are is also marrying the person who they will become.
I would recommend this read for readers seeking for character-driven stories. Quinn and Graham really served to be lovable characters who have their fair share of imperfections, but eventually makes an effort to be better for the other. However, I gave this a 4/5 rating because the ‘resolution’ part felt a bit rushed. Overall, it’s a great read (I wouldn’t recommend it for a Valentine’s day read tho!).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Medical content and Infidelity
Minor: Miscarriage