Reviews

All the Little Lights by Jamie McGuire

carriesouthard's review against another edition

5.0

This book is positively mind blowing!! Such a great story and you will not see the twist coming!! I read this book in its entirety in one sitting! Keeps you hooked from page 1.

merilizabeth's review against another edition

4.0

I have become a fan of this authors writing. I did not see that ending coming like at all. As far like that the book seemed all mellow and teenager love storyish, but never did I expect something like that happening. I enjoyed the ride of this book although it went slower than any other books this year, but still this was a good one. One thing that bothered me through the book was the word combination of "use to" in the past tense without the D in the end. Maybe I am wrong on grammar accounts here, but it did stand out a lot and I am not sure if that was done on purpose as some accent or it is just me being weird. Oh well, keep up the good work anyways.

lysh_'s review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

kbroshous's review against another edition

3.0

Elliot and Catherine find an easy friendship with eachother while both feeling like outcasts. Elliot is forced to leave town when Catherine needs him most. Eventually Elliot returns, but they have both changed during his absence. Catherine hadn't forgiven Elliot for leaving, but when her feelings towards him begin to thaw, Elliot becomes the prime suspect in a local tragedy.

While I agree with the category of YA, this book should not be labelled as YA romance. There is a splash of romance along with more thriller than anything, which I actually enjoy as well, so it wasn't a loss on me. I did, overall, enjoy this book, but it felt drawn out, which was kind of annoying. I was mildly bored during periods, which made it a more "difficult" read for me. If I can't get sucked into a book, it turns it into a chore and this book started leaning towards that.

It wasn't terrible, it was just...miscategorizeed and a definite slow burn.

taylorlechat's review against another edition

4.0

Wow the ending!! I wish this book was only the last 250 pages because that’s really all it needed. It seems like it was not edited at all in the first half, and far too edited in the last half. I wish they had expanded more at the end, but overall I loved the last half and read it in about two and a half hours. If the first half wasn’t so long and redundant, it would have gotten 5 stars.

lylo88's review against another edition

2.0

Between the fact that I predicted the big plot twist before even reaching the half point, the insta-love/insta-friendship and all the problematic things in the romance, this book was really not for me.

beckyrendon's review against another edition

4.0

I spent the entire book sure that I knew what would happen. I knew. 110%. And when the reveal hit, I shouted like a lunatic. I was right. But even knowing, you can't help but get caught up in the secrets. The creepy underbelly of the Juniper is something you can't wash off.

All the Little Lights is definitely a new direction. Jamie McGuire is a talented and gifted author who has no trouble pulling the reader into a story. It took a little longer for me to "sit comfortably" into this story. I imagine it's like sitting on your new neighbors couch. You have expectations and this couch doesn't look like yours. It unfamiliar and you don't want to fall in or be uncomfortable but you try not to be a stiff. All the Little Lights was like sitting on that couch it took me the awkward greeting, a talk about the weather, and an offer of ice tea to relax into this story.

Don't misunderstand, you won't relax entirely until the end of this story. But just like the couch you can get comfortable...maybe too comfortable. Just ask Catherine what getting comfortable can do...


All my random, vague comments aside, I enjoyed All the Little Lights. I liked the suspense. The need to know everything that encompasses the reader. The edge that the secrets creates. It was all positively nerve inducing.

mrsduffy's review against another edition

emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

itscassreads's review against another edition

4.0

Wow. Wow? Wow. I don’t know how I feel but that ending? That damn ending. I don’t know how to put into words exactly how I feel but I was definitely surprised.

Very surprised. The ending won all the awards, I had a few problems with the plot and a few character arcs but that ending may have saved it all?

Idk idk idk

4-4.5/5 stars ⭐️

romantasylife's review against another edition

2.0

It took me a couple of days to write this review. I’ve had a couple of days to think about this book and honestly, I don’t like it. I don’t understand why this book was so long. I personally don’t think it needed to be over 400 pages. It was a bit much. I don’t stand with the relationship in this book. Elliott is an angry person and I feel like it wasn’t addressed properly.

There were some parts that I really enjoyed, but for the most part I found the book quite boring. I almost DNFd this book at points, I just really wanted to see what happened with Catherine and her mother at the end.

2/5 Stars

Read my full review here:
https://mybookishfantasy.com/2019/09/17/review-all-the-little-lights-by-jamie-mcguire/