Title: All Your PerfectsAuthor: Colleen Hoover
Publisher: Atria Books
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Paperback, 320 Pages
Publication Date: July 17th, 2018
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Paperback, 320 Pages
Publication Date: July 17th, 2018
Summary: Quinn and Graham’s perfect love is threatened by their imperfect marriage. The memories, mistakes, and secrets that they have built up over the years are now tearing them apart. The one thing that could save them might also be the very thing that pushes their marriage beyond the point of repair. All Your Perfects is a profound novel about a damaged couple whose potential future hinges on promises made in the past. This is a heartbreaking page-turner that asks: Can a resounding love with a perfect beginning survive a lifetime between two imperfect people?
I received an advanced galley of this book at BookExpo this year, and it was so much fun when I did! Colleen was originally scheduled to have a signing, and then unfortunately a family emergency came up and she was unable to attend, so the Atria booth gave away the ARCs instead. When we got to the booth a little bit early, they said they'd be doing a drop without any formal line or anything, and that we were welcome to hang around until the drop time as long as we were polite and not causing a scene. So before we knew it, a whole group of fans arrived, and we were all standing there talking and chatting and being super calm while also super excited. So while we were waiting, the staff was awesome enough to read the first chapter out loud, and we had a little reading party where we were all listening and laughing along, and it was just such a great memory that came back to me when I picked up this book, so I felt like I had to share.
As the summary explains, Quinn and Graham are totally in love, and they have been since the day both of their lives respectively fell apart. But when Quinn is struggling with fertility issues, things start to go south -- because she loves Graham so much, but she feels like she failed him, as the one who isn't able to carry a baby. Which is the thing she wants most in this world. And it's something that Graham really wants, too. And all other efforts to carry a baby, whether via surrogacy or IVF or adoption, have all failed as well, and it's time to face the facts, but that means their marriage is on the brink of possibly falling apart. So this book follows Quinn and Graham's journey as they struggle to stay in love while also dealing with forces and circumstances out of their control, which end up hurting each of them more than they could have ever expected.
What I loved most about this book was that it was perhaps the most raw and emotional Colleen Hoover book I've read to date, and that's certainly saying something. I love her books for the sexy, swoon-worthy romance and the drama and the absolute page-turning quality of the story. This story was different in a way, while still being true to CoHo's form, especially with the past-tense parts of the story (which I will get to explaining in the next paragraph). This story was so raw and sad and emotional, and I found myself feeling for Quinn as I watched her struggle with her depression and her constant state of feeling unfulfilled and empty inside. It was really sad to see, especially when she repeatedly expressed how much she loved Graham, which even frustrated her in a way, because if she didn't love him, it would be easier to end this whole thing. So this story was really intricate and tricky and deep and emotional and it was serious in a way I haven't read in a long time, and perhaps most importantly, it opened my eyes to fertility struggles that I have never experienced, and it gave me a glimpse into that world of those people struggling to be parents, and it made my heart break.
I really enjoyed the way the story was told, which I think added to the plot in a way. The chapters alternate between the past, which explains the story of how Quinn and Graham got together, and their present, years down the road in their struggling marriage. What surprised me the most is the fact that they aren't even dating yet in the first chapter, but then the second chapter flashes to the present and it's clear that they're married, so it fills the reader with a sense of wonder and excitement at how they got to that point (and then sadness as they realize the situation they're actually in). But yeah, it was really interesting to see the past slowly constructed throughout the story as we see what's happening in the present, and like pieces of a puzzle, everything starts to fall into place until the larger picture makes complete sense. So that was really satisfying to read.
My favorite character in this book was definitely Graham. He was super sweet and sarcastic and lovable and definitely seemed like the perfect husband, which Quinn expressed many times, which was part of the reason she was struggling so hard with her sadness, because she still loved him so much. I really enjoyed the chapters of the book that flashed back to their past because Graham was so sweet and funny and kind and ugh, I just really loved him.
The character I liked the least in this book was Quinn, mostly because I was so in love with Graham that it pained me to see how much she was hurting him. But Quinn is battling her own demons and trying to find light in a world that she once loved but now feels sad and alone in once she realizes that she may never be a mother.
But their life doesn't stay in a constant state of emptiness and sadness -- Graham does some things, and Quinn says some things too, and suddenly, they aren't sure if the love they have for each other is enough to keep their marriage together anymore.
What happens next? Read the book to find out!
This book is definitely one that everyone needs to pick up, and it's one of the CoHo books I'll definitely be pushing on all of my friends.
Overall, I really liked All Your Perfects. I finished this book in less than 24 hours because I couldn't put it down and I just wanted to know what was going to happen next. This book definitely grabbed my attention and didn't let me go, and that's why I'm so glad I waited around at the Atria booth at BookExpo to get this one -- not only did I have a fun experience with Emily and so many other CoHo fans during the impromptu reading, but I also got a really great book out of it that I really enjoyed!
Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be over here eagerly awaiting the next CoHo book!
As the summary explains, Quinn and Graham are totally in love, and they have been since the day both of their lives respectively fell apart. But when Quinn is struggling with fertility issues, things start to go south -- because she loves Graham so much, but she feels like she failed him, as the one who isn't able to carry a baby. Which is the thing she wants most in this world. And it's something that Graham really wants, too. And all other efforts to carry a baby, whether via surrogacy or IVF or adoption, have all failed as well, and it's time to face the facts, but that means their marriage is on the brink of possibly falling apart. So this book follows Quinn and Graham's journey as they struggle to stay in love while also dealing with forces and circumstances out of their control, which end up hurting each of them more than they could have ever expected.
What I loved most about this book was that it was perhaps the most raw and emotional Colleen Hoover book I've read to date, and that's certainly saying something. I love her books for the sexy, swoon-worthy romance and the drama and the absolute page-turning quality of the story. This story was different in a way, while still being true to CoHo's form, especially with the past-tense parts of the story (which I will get to explaining in the next paragraph). This story was so raw and sad and emotional, and I found myself feeling for Quinn as I watched her struggle with her depression and her constant state of feeling unfulfilled and empty inside. It was really sad to see, especially when she repeatedly expressed how much she loved Graham, which even frustrated her in a way, because if she didn't love him, it would be easier to end this whole thing. So this story was really intricate and tricky and deep and emotional and it was serious in a way I haven't read in a long time, and perhaps most importantly, it opened my eyes to fertility struggles that I have never experienced, and it gave me a glimpse into that world of those people struggling to be parents, and it made my heart break.
I really enjoyed the way the story was told, which I think added to the plot in a way. The chapters alternate between the past, which explains the story of how Quinn and Graham got together, and their present, years down the road in their struggling marriage. What surprised me the most is the fact that they aren't even dating yet in the first chapter, but then the second chapter flashes to the present and it's clear that they're married, so it fills the reader with a sense of wonder and excitement at how they got to that point (and then sadness as they realize the situation they're actually in). But yeah, it was really interesting to see the past slowly constructed throughout the story as we see what's happening in the present, and like pieces of a puzzle, everything starts to fall into place until the larger picture makes complete sense. So that was really satisfying to read.
My favorite character in this book was definitely Graham. He was super sweet and sarcastic and lovable and definitely seemed like the perfect husband, which Quinn expressed many times, which was part of the reason she was struggling so hard with her sadness, because she still loved him so much. I really enjoyed the chapters of the book that flashed back to their past because Graham was so sweet and funny and kind and ugh, I just really loved him.
The character I liked the least in this book was Quinn, mostly because I was so in love with Graham that it pained me to see how much she was hurting him. But Quinn is battling her own demons and trying to find light in a world that she once loved but now feels sad and alone in once she realizes that she may never be a mother.
But their life doesn't stay in a constant state of emptiness and sadness -- Graham does some things, and Quinn says some things too, and suddenly, they aren't sure if the love they have for each other is enough to keep their marriage together anymore.
What happens next? Read the book to find out!
This book is definitely one that everyone needs to pick up, and it's one of the CoHo books I'll definitely be pushing on all of my friends.
Overall, I really liked All Your Perfects. I finished this book in less than 24 hours because I couldn't put it down and I just wanted to know what was going to happen next. This book definitely grabbed my attention and didn't let me go, and that's why I'm so glad I waited around at the Atria booth at BookExpo to get this one -- not only did I have a fun experience with Emily and so many other CoHo fans during the impromptu reading, but I also got a really great book out of it that I really enjoyed!
Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be over here eagerly awaiting the next CoHo book!
I don't think I have read a Hoover book that didn't tear me apart emotionally. I haven't been CoHoed in a while, so I will have to check this one out.
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