From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jamie McGuire comes a riveting tale of first love that starts young but runs deep.The first time Elliott Youngblood spots Catherine Calhoun, he’s just a boy with a camera, and he’s never seen a sadder and more beautiful sight. Both Elliott and Catherine feel like outcasts, yet they find an easy friendship with each other. But when Catherine needs him … Catherine needs him most, Elliott is forced to leave town.
Elliott finally returns, but he and Catherine are now different people. He’s a star high school athlete, and she spends all her free time working at her mother’s mysterious bed-and-breakfast. Catherine hasn’t forgiven Elliott for abandoning her, but he’s determined to win back her friendship…and her heart.
Just when Catherine is ready to fully trust Elliott, he becomes the prime suspect in a local tragedy. Despite the town’s growing suspicions, Catherine clings to her love for Elliott. But a devastating secret that Catherine has buried could destroy whatever chance of happiness they have left.
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It was really a surprise to me how suspenseful this story was. Definitely one of those where there is some sort of puzzle you are trying to work out, and there are a lot of things that aren’t quite right. All the Little Lights was a stay up late at night trying to finish it kind of book. And I felt super lucky to be granted an arc of it, especially with how much I love this author.
Elliot and Catherine have a very intense and strong young love. It spans over years and even being separated. NOTHING can keep them apart. They are both very serious teenagers, and go to a school that proves just how cruel kids can be. They both have family problems, and can lean on one another. Though Catherine does spend a lot of time pushing him away.
This was gripping and raw, unique and fascinating. Certainly shocking. Unexpected and fanfreakingtastic. Maybe my fave read this year.
Loved it! A must read for all ages. Its a coming of age story that touches on some topics that no one wants to talk about. The story teaches us that you never know what people are going through behind closed doors. Personal demons can cause us to push the people who love us the most away to protect them as well as ourselves. This should be mandatory reading for teens who are too easy to judge and tease/bully kids that they just don’t get or understand.
This has been so well-reviewed, I’m going to skip my summary. This started off as an innocent, YA, boy meets girl and they fall in love, but it was engaging, and I loved the connection that Elliott and Catherine had together. They each had a rough childhood, so it made it easy for them to bond with each other. Catherine was keeping her home life so private, and Elliott just couldn’t figure out what the big secret was, and he had tried numerous times over the years to get her to break down her walls, and she just wouldn’t.
This book ended up with a huge mystery and a twist that I was not expecting at all. I borrowed this one from KU because it kept coming up as recommended, and I am so glad I did. I tend to have a few books going at once and I completely ignored the others because I got so caught up in the storyline. Definitely headed over to check out some of McGuire’s other books.
I fell in love with Jamie McGuire’s writing when I read Beautiful Disaster. All the Little Lights is not at all what I was expecting but that is not saying that I didn’t love it.
Elliot was playing with his new camera when he sees Catherine for the first time behind the huge house she lives in with her parents. When he’s returns the summer they both are 15 they finally talk for the first time. They instantly have a connection and become best friends walking all over talk taking pictures. They are each other’s support system as they both have unhappy home lives. Elliott is living with his aunt and uncle during the summers.
Early on there is tragedy in Catherine’s life and when she needed Elliot the most his Mom forces him to leave town without even a word to her. Two years later he returns to town to go to school he becomes the school’s star quarterback. He tries to talk to Catherine but she is still very mad at him giving him the cold shoulder, but it does not take him long to break thru. In the last two years things at Catherine’s house have gotten even weirder. Elliot worries about her but she says she is fine and keeps her secrets to herself.
This was a love story with a bit of a dark side very suspenseful and the big “secret” was quite the shocker I knew that there was something weird but I never thought that!! This story had more suspense and mystery with lots of twists and turn involving the characters than her other books I’ve read.
I will no spoil this story for you!!
An intriguing YA story that grips you from the start. Great character development and a hidden element that keeps you hooked until the end. Highly recommend this book.
Copy kindly received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Normally I love Jamie McGuire books, but this one was just boring me, and so I had to put it down. The blurb sounds good, but when I actually started the book, whilst the young characters seemed interesting, I didn’t connect with them, and the book seemed very slow moving. It was not grabbing my attention so I chose to put it down.
This one may be for others, just not for me.
The story of Elliot and Catherine isn’t your typical romance. A lot is going on, that as a reader we don’t fully grasp till the end.
I loved Elliot and Catherine. They were two souls who were destined to meet. They needed each other more than they would have ever thought. Reading this I was wondering what the heck was going on, one moment in the story it clicked. But had to wait till the end. I’m not going to give it away in this review.. nope.. lips are sealed.
I struggled in the way of how to rate this book. All the Little Lights was different, it had that undying love, but also there was a much darker aspect of it. I feel that McGuire did a fantastic job. The writing drew you in, and the story kept my interest. I didn’t have that emotional pull as much as I’d liked. But I can’t deny this is a Five Star Read.
So, Overall, of course, Five Boundless Stars
Wow, just wow! What a book! This was such a great read! I definitely recommend this book and this author. The narrators were fantastic.
As a child growing up in a dysfunctional home, Elliott knows he can turn to his aunt for a reprieve from all of the turmoil with his parents. One thing that gets Elliott through the pain is seeing the world through the lens of his camera. Always watching the happenings that go on around him, Elliott can’t help but find himself captivated by the girl that lives down the street – Catherine Calhoun.
Elliott spends his summer at his aunt’s hometown mowing lawns and enjoying lazy days spent with Catherine. A friendship quickly develops between the two that strengthens through their mutual dread of returning to their respective homes. As Elliott relishes in his life at his aunt and uncle’s hometown, Catherine thrives from having a true friend to share the hardships and struggles of life at her local school.
Then a tragedy that could not have been predicted would alter the path that these two friends would travel. Elliott was pulled away at a critical moment in Catherine’s life that would lead to years of trying to find their way back to that special friendship from summers past. While Elliott was determined to find his way back to Catherine, she wasn’t as understanding where their disconnect was concern. Life at Juniper was anything but ordinary, and the secrets lurking behind the doors of Catherine’s home would hold the ability to change the lives of everyone around.
All the Little Lights is definitely an unexpected novel for me. It is nothing like I could have imagined coming from the author. It tells the story of Elliot – a Native American that lives with some stigma from his race, but one young man that doesn’t have the best home life. To escape the constant barrage of the turmoil at home, Elliott finds escape through his aunt and uncle. Two loved ones that are determined not to let Elliott fall through the cracks.
What Elliott encounters in their hometown is a young girl who lacks friendship and strength…..Catherine Calhoun. The two form a friendship that will shape their lives in a predictable way. Now – the meat of this book is a tad drawn out. We get all aspects of both teens life without really telling what this massive secret is that lurks in Catherine’s home. As we follow the two – we find how desperate Elliott is to have Catherine in his life. Almost in an obsessively overtaking manner. In fact – the friendship took up over 80% of the book. It was a lot of repetitive plot that really wasn’t full of the colorfulness you might expect coming from the author. Just a ton of writing that seemed to be a bit repetitive at times.
Then the plot twist comes in the last 10-15% of the book. I can’t elaborate on this due to the ability to spoil everything that the author was trying to ‘hide’ within in the confines of the covers. Was it believable? Sure…but it would have held more depth had the ‘secret’ been relatable or hinted at in the first 80% of the book. Then the epilogue wraps things up for Elliott and Catherine up in an extremely too ‘neat’ bow. In fact – it was so convenient it made me wonder why I spent so much time pushing through the 80% of the book that failed to give the depth that the ‘ah ha’ moment held. To say the book was drawn out and bland up until that revelation would be an understatement. Not sure what I was expecting, but I definitely expected much more depth and creativity from the author. The ‘secret’ was definitely ‘juicy’ and could have led to so much more creativity than what you received when reading this book.
Jamie describes this book as a dark YA and it definitely is. I wasn’t sure if I loved it, until nearly the end, then all the things that were confusing along the way clicked and I fell in love with the book.
If you’ve read any McGuire books before, don’t go into this one thinking it’s going to be similar to the others. It is nearly 180 from them. This book just goes to show how versatile Jamie can be as an author.
I encourage you to pick this book up ASAP and fall into a high school outcasts world in Oak Creek, OK.
Just wow! I am still stunned! Never in a million years did I expect that ending! This book was so expertly written it had me on the edge of my seat the entire time! A truly amazing read that made my mind wander to all sorts of possibilities.
I’m conflicted about this book. On one hand, the writing was great – descriptive but not distracting, good dialogue, etc. On the other hand, the story was ALL over the place and there was WAY too much going on (the bullies, the Juniper, the abusive parents, the friends issues, all on top of the drama with Elliott and Catherine). While the twist at the end was cool, leaving it until the end made the rest of the book pretty confusing and weird. And I still have lingering questions that weren’t answered (if there were never any guests, how did Catherine and her mom have any money to live on? If Mrs. Mason’s house was a bloodbath, why did she only need some stitches?) I don’t know. I feel like this could’ve been a really good story if it was tightened up and streamlined, but as it is, I didn’t really care for it.
*Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, provided by the author and/or the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This was a romantic thriller if I had to sum up! I couldn’t put this book down each chapter left you wanting more and more! Very good read!
This book is full of twists and turns. The reveal was scary as hell.
It’s a solid 3.5 for me. I Adore the Beautiful Series and it’s spin-offs. Jamie has a knack for writing swoon worthy leading men with Alpha tendencies. So I was expecting something more NA. Which, to be fair is partially my fault. I should have done more research. If I were 14-17 I would be over the moon for Elliot. He’s exactly who’d you want for your first love.
I saw the ending coming for a while not because it’s poorly written or you’re hit in the face with foreshadowing. I just tend figure these things out. It’s a curse. So there was no real shock element for me. Again my fault. This is why a rounded up to a 4 stars for my review.
If you’re in the mood for a sweet YA romance meets suspense than look no farther.
I was frustrated with it pretty much until the end when the secret was revealed and it was literally the only resolution that would’ve made me not hate the book and feel like I had wasted my time.
Holy smokes! What a mind bender! You question what is the big secret is and you think you may have it figured out but then another twist! Such a great read
One of her best I love all her books
All the little lights is a story of young love which endures despite distance, time, and family tragedy. Elliot has loved Catherine from the moment he laid eyes on her. Catherine has suffered a family tragedy and is afraid of allowing Elliot into her life. But he persists and proves he is worthy of her love. This one is a must read.
In typical Jamie McGuire fashion, she has surprised me yet again. I went into this book truly not knowing what to expect, and was thrilled beyond words by last page. I have been a follow of hers since day 1, and the reviews I read from this basically said it was unlike anything else, so of course going in I was very intrigued. How could she pull something off that has been done time and time again. The boy next door. Boy and girl meet, separated tragically and then their magical reunion and blossoming of their once young love. In All the Little Lights Jamie has created such a unique and indescribable bond between Catherine and Elliot, that the whole book I was rooting for them and their paths to finally intertwine in a way that can only be reinforced even stronger by their pasts.