Review of Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan

This nearly perfect rom-com hit all the right notes for me. Monaghan's tone was spot-on, and her fake-dating story and characters had me abandoning real-life duties to get back to reading this delightful, banter-filled, layered, lovely novel.

Single mom Dolly Brick (her mother was a country music fan) returns to her seaside Rhode Island hometown of Whitfield for the summer to help her hardworking dad with his fish shop, support her brother, who has schizophrenia following a traumatic brain injury, and repair the family home following a fire.

When she runs into handsome Stewart, the son of the local millionaire Whitfield family, who has a flat tire and no clue how to change it, capable Dolly helps him out. One thing leads to another, and reserved Stewart proposes a fake-dating scenario that should allow him to save face after a humiliating and public breakup--and more importantly, (pretend to) prove to his family that he can lead a balanced lifestyle outside of work.

What could go wrong?

I don't want to oversell this rom-com, but for me it hit allll the right notes. Fake dating, seeming-opposites attracting, moneyed/financially strapped disparities, relationship hiccups (which do not revolve around miscommunication), complicated family dynamics, peeks into privileged and working-class seaside lives, voyeuristic forays into high-class society, and "they're just like us" moments.

Monaghan's tone is spot-on, so I eagerly ate up all of her characters' romance scenarios, interpersonal challenges, heartfelt moments, heartbreak, and resolutions. Characters cope with tricky life changes and developments; parents worry about their kids; siblings struggle to communicate; family members rise to the occasion or disappoint; and the pressures of life realistically get in the way of unhindered love. The banter, the hesitant steps forward, and the myriad highs and lows and experiences that build the relationship--yes to all of this.

Is this a perfect rom-com? For me, this was absolutely the right book at the right time. I laughed out loud, I teared up, and I kept wanting to abandon my real-life duties to get back to reading this one.

I received a prepublication version of this title courtesy of NetGalley and Putnam.

More Rom-Com Reads to Dive Into

Annabel Monaghan is also the author of books including Nora Goes Off Script, Same Time Next Summer, Summer Romance, and It's a Love Story.

For some of my favorite rom-com reads that are likely to be available through your library--and for endless other lists of past favorites, please check out this link.