Review: All the Little Lights by Jamie McGuire

All the Little Lights by Jamie McGuire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Elliott's parents fight. A lot. So much, that when summer comes, Elliott goes to his aunt and uncle's house in Oklahoma to get away from the yelling and screaming and things breaking. And Elliott loves going to her aunt and uncles place - so much so that he almost wishes that he lives there full time. Though his mother won't allow that, since she got bullied a lot about being Native American and got a lot of racial slurs that she doesn't want that life for Elliott.

And another thing Elliott enjoys? Photography. He's always taking pictures of things around town. When he decides to climb up an old oak tree, he stumbles upon a girl who lives on the property of the oak tree: Catherine. And Catherine is the most beautiful girl he's ever seen.

The following summers after that Elliott always sees Catherine, but never has the gumption to talk to her. Only when it's the summer after their freshman year in college does he get to talk to her - because she caught him beating up the tree with anger and frustration.

Catherine's parents constantly fight as well. So much so, that she can still hear it from the outside of her huge, 7 room Victorian house. So when she sees a boy punching her tree, she decides to ask him what he is doing.

From that moment on, the two were attached to the hip that summer. They would walk everywhere - even though it was 100+ degrees outside, go to the ice cream shoppe, anything. They have a great summer, but the closer summer ends, the sadder they get. Both have promised to keep in touch and see each other as often as possible, but that's not what happened. In fact, they don't see each other again until the first week of senior year in high school.

Two years have gone by, and a lot of things have changed. The most changed thing, though, is Catherine. Her dad died, and her mom decided to make a bed and breakfast with their house in order to keep money coming in. Now she has cut everyone off, because she won't let anyone get near her secrets that she's been hiding for two years.

Elliott is determined to become friends with Catherine, no matter how much it takes. He sacrificed his senior year in high school to be the new kid in order to be close to Catherine. Because as much as everyone thinks Elliott is crazy, he is in love with this girl and will do anything to win her trust back after breaking his promise.

Disappearances and bullying and hostility occurs over and over in their little town, causing strain on Elliott and Catherine both. Secrets are about to be released, and life is about to explode for these two, and keeping a hold of one another may not be feasible by the end of their senior year...

This book...This author... I just love them both so much! I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, because this is one of the first books I've read that is not part of the Maddox family novels. But wow, I am so in love with this book!

There are so many twists and turns to keep the reader guessing until the very end. I didn't guess EXACTLY what happened, but was along the same lines of the big reveal. And then when the reveal happened? It broke my heart in many ways. I can't even imagine going through that, and keeping my sanity in check.

Elliott is my favorite. He is so determined and dedicated. I mean, the poor boy got his car and his licence when he was 16 and instantly tried to drive to Oklahoma to see Catherine and explain. If that is not determination, then I don't know what is. He was driven to make himself a better person than his father, and a person that Catherine would be proud of. I would have definitely forgiven him the second he said he came to my school my senior year to be with me, because that is just swoon-worthiness if I've ever seen it.

And Catherine. She is a poor, confused, stressed out girl who seems like she is going to drop very quickly. Having to deal with school, being bullied by Presley day in and day out for basically her whole life, trying to cope with her father's death - even two years later - and having to take over most of the bed and breakfast herself because her mother has her good days and her bad days, is way, way, way too much for a 17 year old girl. And then to have to dodge the school counselor so she doesn't get taken by the DHS because her mother isn't being quite the mother-of-the-year that she should be? Too, too much.

The suspense was amazing. The secret was amazing. The reveal was amazing. I don't know what else to say about this book, because it was everything a reader will want, I think! Jamie did a fantastic job with this novel, and I cannot wait until May so I can buy my own physical copy to put in my personal library at home!

I am so glad that I was able to get an eARC of this book, and I will definitely be raving about this book to all of my friends and patrons!

View all my reviews