Fetch Single All The Way Rendered By Karen King Accessible In Document

cover of Single All the Way looks as if it will be a light, fluffy read without depth nothing could be further than the truth as the novel deals with some difficult situations.
This is not to say it doesnt have warmth, wit and festive cheer, It certainly does, but this is shown as background to the emotional trauma a mother and daughter are dealing with, Exactly as we have to do in real life!

With their respective marriages in trouble, Sally the mother and Meg the daughter spend Christmas together in a Cornish holiday cottage.
Switching between the various points of view including the occasional glimpse from the male perspective, readers are able to see behind the facades and identify with Sally and Megs dilemmas.
Some of Sallys thoughts made me laugh as, although it was all too easy to believe in her frustration, the observations themselves were funny,

From the first page to the final word of the epilogue, I enjoyed spending time with these lovely characters,
I think this book could have been better if the dialogue was more, . . natural. This is a peeve of mine in cozy romantic reads, I just can't stand the folks in a relationship constantly addressing each other so formally, No one in a romantic relationship ends each sentence or statement with their partner's name such as:

"I'd love an egg Meg"
"I'm just going to the bathroom Meg"
"It was hard to tell you about my secret Meg"
"This couch is uncomfortable Meg"

How about at least trying some informal dialogue between those that are being intimate Throw in some pet names Make the relationship really more believable I just can't deal with this in contemporary romantic fiction anymore and this book is a shining example of bad dialogue.


If two people are the only two people in a room, they do not need to address each other by name EVERY TIME,

Ok, rant over, Now onto the rest of this book which just didn't work for me,

Meg runs from Ollie because she's pouting about him expressing his feelings instead of oh I don't know say talking to her husband of many years about how he actually feels Nah let's just run off and leave him home alone with our pets.
Sally runs from her husband Ted when she realizes her daughter Meg has left her own husband, What's going through Sally's mind here Who knows, Maybe: "oh yay! Now Meg and I can be single twinsies!" Either way, it's weird and it just doesn't work, Then we have Meg getting close to the holiday let neighbor Leo and his son Sam, very quickly I might add, and Sally getting close to stranger Rory.
Also within a day Sally has become BFFs with cafe owner Rose, because why not

I mean I guess I like a little bit of reality sprinkled in with my escapism.
Not just uncomfortable and unbelievable plots, So this just wasn't for me,

I really enjoyed Karen King's other book Snowy Nights at the Lonely Hearts hotel and found the story and dialogue there to be much more believable.


My copy was provided by NetGalley for review, all opinions are my own,.stars

Meg and her husband own a party planning business, They love each other and they care for each other, so why is it that one day leaves Oliver And when Meg's mother Sally hears about it, she makes a decision of her own she always put her family, and first of all, husband first but now feels it time to think about herself.
Will mother and daughter be able to save their marriages Do they want to save their marriages

I could get into the story but I also couldn't get into it, hope you're with me : I understood the meaning, the plot but still I wasn't full involved because it just simply felt too flat and too clichéd.
The dialogues and the characters felt much too wooden and too formal and too forced, Huge part of the book is actually about Meg and Sally reflecting on their relationships and wondering what has gone wrong I missed action, something happening, the book going forward.


I'm really sorry to say but the characters felt very one dimensional and not real, and the way they acted and interacted was unnatural and it was hard to connect with them.
The chapters told from the husbands' points of view didn't make me warm to them, to be honest, and actually we knew then all the points of view, also those of the female characters, but there was no solution and no help, and the other people involved didn't know what the others are thinking.


"Single All the Way" was a holiday romance, light and easy to read, about relationships, the stereotypes of failed marriages and misunderstandings and the author is for sure passionate about telling a story.
The title and the cover may suggest that the book is a cosy, Christmas reading but well, for me it didn't give off too many festive feelings, While there was so much potential in it, it didn't deliver, and it lacked in emotional depth so needed to make it work and everything is done half heartedly.
So yes, I think I know that the author wanted to added tons of depth and meaning to the story, to make it not so fluffy but this bit more serious but, sadly, she didn't succeed.
However, please do not feel put out by my review, you may fell in love with the characters and the plot of this novel, so simply just give it a go.


Copy provided by the publisher in return for an honest review,
Meg thinks she has the perfect marriage, until her husband drops a bombshell that changes the way she thinks about everything, Then when she leaves a message on her mother's voicemail that she has left Oliver, her mother Sally announces that she has left Meg's father,

Together Sally and Meg travel to a holiday cottage in Cornwall, the same one in which Sally and Meg's father spent their honeymoon, Together mother and daughter get involved in traditional village activities like the Christmas fayre and the Boxing Day swim while contemplating their marriages, Are they irrevocably broken or is there hope

A heartwarming smalltown holiday story featuring arguing families, intriguing strangers and the hope of new beginnings, But when the new year starts who will be starting divorce proceedings and who will be reconciled with their husband This was quite a contemplative read which had me pondering over relationships and the complexities that surround it.


Meg and her mother Sally had both left their husbands on the same day, due to reasons unknown, They went to a cottage on the Cornish coast to heal from their pain, They needed to think about their next step, During this entire process, they got to understand each other better and learn a few things from people who entered their lives,

Short precise chapters written with emotions by author Karen King made this a quick read, But this was an impactful story, The plot revolved around the intricacies of relationships and gave a different perspective, Told in dual POV, I got to know both the mother and daughter's lives,

I loved both of them, but I understood the mother's need to break free after years of sacrifices and looking aster family with no time to herself.
I wanted her to fly, Meg's pain was also authentic, The reason for her break up kept the suspense going as everything was revealed only at the end,

Other characters entered the women's lives, and they added a layer to this story, They made things clearer to the two women, The warmth and caring from the people in the village was uplifting, I liked the depth of the author's writing, it was quite reflective, set in fictional setting,

Some parts felt slow and repetitive, but the story resonated with me as I have gone through bad breakups, I liked the hope that the story left me with at the end, Overall, an enlightening happy read, I would say, Really enjoyed this book. The writing kept me engaged and was such a lovely story, A perfect read for this time of year, I really loved the characters and would

happily read a book that tells me what happens next for all of the characters, This is another catch up post, where I try and review all the books I neglected in December! The only problem with this tardiness is, of course, that this is a Christmas book and it isnt Christmas any more! Still, some people read festive books all year round.
Or, maybe you are just looking for a nostalgic read to take you back to the sparkling, joyful days of the holidays and away from the depressing gloom of January.
Or maybe you are starting a list for next Christmas, Hopefully this will help somebody, somewhere, somehow!

There are quite a few running away from Christmas books around, but I have never read one that involves both a mother and daughter running away together.
This USP of the book gives it a really interesting and different dynamic, and explores issues that are perhaps not something much of us give much thought to on a daily basis, beyond the normal motherdaughter relationships to thinking of our parents as separate human beings who have their own relationship problems.
This leads to some awkward issues for the pair which the author thoroughly exploits to the benefit of the story,

I loved the location of a cottage in a Cornish village always a winner! and the couple getting involved in the local village celebrations, The book has a gorgeous, cosy, festive feel that is just the thing to warm your cockles on a cold, winter day, even when it isnt Christmas, Beyond the festive fun, though, the book explores some difficult relationship issues with affection and sensitivity, It really moved me in parts, these are extremely common problems that people are dealing with on a daily basis, so I am sure the difficulties experienced by the characters will resonate with readers and give back a little more than festive froth.


The authors voice is warm and approachable, the book was an easy read, but rewarding as well, A welcome addition to my roster of Christmas reading, I highly recommend it next time you are in mood for a festive book, whatever time of year that is, I have had the pleasure of reading and reviewing a few of Karens books now, Each one I have read, I have thoroughly enjoyed, I read the synopsis for Single All The Way nice play on a Christmas carol and it certainly sounded like the refreshing kind of read that I needed at that moment in time.
As soon as I could grab hold of a copy, I started reading straightaway, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Single All The Way but more about that in a bit,
I took to both Sally and Meg from the first moment I met them even if I did want to slap them with a wet flannel a few times.
Sally is the mother of Meg and she has been married to Megs father for nearlyyears now, Her thought was that once they had both retired they would do what they always dreamed of whether that was travelling the world or buying a flash car.
The reality is something else entirely as her husband is quite happy staying at home and pottering around the garden, Sally has had enough and takes off to the cottage where she and her husband had their honeymoon all those moons ago, I wasnt sure whether or not she was hoping that the short, sharp shock was what her husband needed to make more of an effort or whether or not she genuinely wanted the marriage to end.
Sally also feels that she is being taken for granted, I began to wonder who I was reading about because Sallys part of the story could have been lifted from my own family, An aunt and uncle, who no longer want any contact with me hurrah, are both retired and my exaunt had all these ideas about what retirement was going to be like but the reality is much different because my exuncle is quite happy sitting in the house watching the television.
On to Meg now. Meg splits from her husband because he suddenly tells her that he doesnt want children any longer, Meg has been nagging him lately because she feels that time is marching on and she wants a baby now!! For goodness sake, Meg isnt evenyears old so theres plenty of time yet.
I did think that she and her husband needed to sit down and just talk to each other, When they got married they both wanted children but Megs husband has changed his mind and rather than walk out which Meg does, I would have been interested to find out why and then perhaps walk out but no Meg does the opposite.
There were certain times when I almost wanted to jump inside the pages of the book and shake Meg slightly by the shoulders or throw a glass of water over her to calm her down.
Meg heads off to the cottage to spend Christmas with her mother and they Sally and Meg will both take time to think what it is that they really want for the future.
Will they make new lives for themselves or are their old lives calling them back Are there twists and turns along the way Well for the answers to those questions and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.

Its no word of a lie to say that it took me no time at all to become addicted to reading this book, It was the perfect sort of read for me a fun, light hearted, amusing, uplifting and romantic tale, As soon as I picked the book up that was it, plans for the rest of the day were cancelled not that I had anything exciting planned as I knew that I would not be able to put this fantastic book down.
For me Single All The Way really is an unputdownable, page turner of a read, I would pick the book up only intending to read a couple of chapters at a time but I became so immersed in the story that I read far more than a couple of chapters.
The book wasnt exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me, I didnt want to miss a single second of the story for fear of missing a vital nugget of gossip or for fear of missing out on something amusing.
I reached the end of the story far quicker than I had either anticipated or wanted, which I was disappointed about, I dont mean that I was disappointed about how the story ended but I was enjoying the story, the characters and the authors writing style so much that I just wanted the book to continue on and on.

Single All The Way is superbly written but then I wouldnt expect anything else from Karen King, She has a writing style that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with, She draws you into the story right from the very first word and once she has your attention, she will not let it go, Karen has created interesting characters that seem to really come to life and they seem just as real as you or I, By the time I got to the end of the book I felt as though Sally and Meg had become friends of mine and I genuinely cared about what happened to them.
The author writes so realistically and uses such vivid descriptions that I really did feel as though I was part of the story myself, I know that the story isnt real but if I enjoy a book to the extent that I enjoyed this one then I tend to live the story as if it were real.

In short, I thoroughly enjoyed this uplifting and funny story, which had me gripped throughout, I would definitely recommend this book to other readers and particularly to those readers who enjoy fun festive reads, I cant wait to read more of Karens work in the future, The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deservedout of, .