All the Feels: A Novel

4 stars — This one was slow for me to get into, but once I did it delivered right to the end It took a bit to warm up to Alex. I’m sensitive, so he came across mean at first. I do know people who have that personality, and I will admit I’m taken aback when they “mean” tease with people they don’t know as well (calling her stupid, etc). It’s not genuine meanness, b/c it’s sarcasm…but it can be hard to tell. Once I figured him out though, and once they developed a friendship and report, then I absolutely loved him. It took me a bit to warm up to the narrator as well. She was good, there was just an indefinable quality that made her slightly less easy to listen to. Which, again, doesn’t mean she’s bad, just that she probably won’t go on my favourites list. She did emotions quite spectacularly in general. I loved that Lauren was a different kind of plus size woman — short, round, smaller breasts. True body diversity. I also appreciated that other people’s “issues” with her wasn’t just about her body size, but also because she was unconventional looking. It helps remind us that our society’s version of perfection doesn’t mean that people who don’t fit that mold aren’t beautiful to someone. And heck, aren’t beautiful in their own way. I am in a weird reading space right now, so it took me FOREVER to finish this book. My brain hasn’t been able to settle while reading, so it’s slowed down A LOT. So I find it hard to tell how I feel about the book, b/c I don’t know if it was my mood that dragged it out, or if the book contributed…if that makes sense. Other than the rough start (for me, with Alex and the narrator), I can’t pinpoint anything that would have me dragging this out on a normal reading mood. I will admit that I cringed when we got to some of the miscommunication stuff — ie the “I’ll do what I think is best for you without consulting you”. It’s a common trope, and not one of my favourites. But I think the thing that Ms. Dade absolutely excels at is taking that normal trope, and having the characters (BOTH characters) actually learn and grow, and then both come back and GENUINELY apologize. It makes something I normally don’t like somehow easier. And I appreciate them both more, it makes them more real. There were a lot of fantastic funny parts. Once I got over the hump with Alex, he was absolutely hilarious. He had such a weird sense of humour, but I kind of adored it. He was also so wonderfully sensitive — he felt everything to the nth degree. I also appreciated seeing him live with ADHD — the representation was very visceral and on point. It was interesting to see how he managed it, and how it could disrupt his life at times. Lauren was delightfully dry. I was so glad to see her finally grow towards the end — that girl needed those lessons so badly, and I’m excited to see her accepting herself and not tolerating the bad as much. It was a great compromise. I definitely felt for the lessons she had learned in her childhood, and how they had shaped her. And how hard it was for her to see how she had it wrong. I feel like this review is all over the place, but it fits the mood I’m in, so I’m leaving it.

this was a perfect story of how not to judge a book by its cover. it was a great read!!

Beautiful, charming, incredible heartwarming, and sexy!