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Georgie, All Along: An Uplifting and Unforgettable Love Story

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Clayborn's stories always feel equally specific and universal, written with vulnerability, humour, and empathy, and this latest is no exception. Georgie Mulcahy always had a reputation for being a bit flaky and unreliable in her hometown of Darentville, Virginia.

The characters were great and while I am not a huge fan of instant love and this one came close to that I thought it worked. Gorgeously written, full of complex characters, and friendships as strong as the central romance -- all Clayborn staples.In Clayborn's case — and especially in the case of Georgie, All Along, which comes out in January 2023 — they're sweet and emotional and hot and often very, very funny. To an overwhelmed Georgie, the diary’s simple, small-scale ideas are a lifeline—a guidebook for getting started on a new path.

We get both Georgie’s and Levi’s voices, as they wrestle with the events of their pasts affecting their present and future choices, and a wonderful supporting cast including Hank, whose contribution to the story should not be overlooked. I must say, I had my skepticism firmly in place for the "going back" element of this story from the very start. If you can’t credit me with simply being a person who loves books and likes talking about them, at least credit me with enough common sense to be a better villain. This was a sweet and sometimes funny story about the life of Georgie, and how not everyone grows up knowing exactly what they want to be when they grow up and what direction their adult life with take them. And I think, precisely because these characters are so dimensional and so open to points of personal connection with the readers.

I’m a bit surprised its scheduled for a January release because I read it on a piece of decking overlooking the Cherwell, with the sun pouring over me, and my hair trailing in the water to keep me cool, and I felt very much connected to Levi and Georgie on *their* decking overlooking *their* river. As the two make their way through her wishlist, Georgie begins to realize that what she truly wants might not be in the pages of her diary after all, but right by her side — if only they can both find a way to let go of the pasts that hold them back. I got a print ARC and used up one whole, brand new sharpie highlighter on it and made so many hearts. When he offers to help with her quest, Georgie wonders if maybe Levi is more than just his reputation. Honest and deeply emotional, Georgie All Along is a smart, tender must-read for everyone who’s ever wondered about the life that got away .

And something I really appreciated about Georgie, All Along is that - while it inspects and questions and deepens its own relationship to this well-trodden genre staple - you never get the sense that it's looking down on it, or denying why it attracts readers. Georgie, All Along has the bones of a highly-recognizable setup: Georgie Mulcahy has just lost her demanding, high-powered job as a personal assistant to a Hollywood star, and responds by stuffing her (very few) belongings into trash bags, throwing them in the back of her car, and driving home to the small Virginia town she grew up in. Needless to say, Georgie and Levi are opposites but as the story progresses we see how these two very different people bring about positive changes in each other's lives, ultimately bringing them closer together. I'll be honest and that say this didn't pack quite the emotional punch I was expecting, but I did think it was really cute and I appreciated a lot of the elements, especially the grumpy/sunshine dynamic I wasn't expecting. Perhaps I’m just over-invested in the sunshine/grumpy dynamic of the central couple but it seems so fundamentally a summer read to me.

The romance between Kit, a no-nonsense scientist who dreams of her first real home, and Ben, a recruiter and builder (I promise, it works) is emotional and real. The above is a very anodyne description, because my words cannot do justice to what is a beautifully layered and lyrical novel. Important note: Levi is also the older brother of Georgie's high school mega crush, Evan, and it makes her feel very confused that she's now so intensely attracted to his black sheep older brother and can barely remember Evan's golden boy face. Levi has been firmly cemented himself as a book boyfriend, the things he thinks about Georgie only rival the things he declares to her. The last thing Levi wants, while he’s waiting for the renovations on his own house to be complete, is to be in Georgie’s way, especially when she’s a ball of talkative sunshine while he has trouble conversing with a stranger at the best of times.

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