Dolly All the Time (Target Exclusive) - by Annabel Monaghan (Paperback)

I loved this book it was so much fun for the summer. Target always has the best book selection

Cute, witty, quick read

Fake dating with mature MCs? Sign me up! This is everything you want from a romance and then some. Annabel Monaghan delivers a breath of fresh air with "Dolly All The Time." This book is for the ones who always take care of everything and everyone, who have no one to take care of them. This book will transport you to Rhode Island and make you want all of the seafood. Dolly is stretched thin. Both in life and financially. Dolly deserves a break. Enter Stewart- town golden boy and workaholic. He needs Dolly to help him gain his family's favor after his ex is caught cheating on him in the public. Together, they embark on a summer where they learn there is more to life than working and putting other people first. "I think you were put on this earth to make everything better." Both Dolly and Stewart tugged at my heartstrings and made me reevaluate my own priorities. What would happen if Dolly took a day off for herself? What did Stewart really want from him job? This book was a joy to read and I truly enjoyed every moment of this story. I cheered for Dolly when she finally asked for exactly what she wanted. I applauded Stewart when he took the steps to better himself. I love an MC who goes to therapy and then puts what they learn into effect. I am a fully Annabel Monaghan fan now and I am not sorry! This is the perfect summer romance, with a little bit for every one!

This book took my breath away. I cried (a lot), and I wouldn't even classify this as a tearjerker. No, I cried because this story spoke to the part of me who would move mountains to make my kids happy. It spoke to the many fears I have as a mother: the fear of my children getting sick, the fear of them struggling to find their people, the fear of them not seeing how incredible they are. Dolly All the Time is a romance, yes, but its exploration of motherhood was exquisite. As women, we tend to take care of others before taking care of ourselves. It's a tragic trait that's been ingrained in my generation. I'm incredibly jealous of the younger generation who have found strength in their selfishness. (and that is not sarcasm. in fact, that's a huge theme of this novel. when we can't speak up for ourselves, we lose ourselves.) I enjoyed watching Dolly learn to find her voice, to speak up for what she believed in and go for what she wanted. Her transformation from a woman who couldn't even vocalize how she liked her tea to a woman who barged into her ex's office to tell him to go screw himself was the kind of character growth I love to see. The romance was...for the most part. Stewart kind of lost me for a bit with the way he behaved during the third act, but I think he redeemed himself with that heartfelt ending. (This is a fade to black romance. No steam here, for those wondering.) For fans of fake dating, single parent romances, Dolly All the Time is the perfect summer read to get lost in.