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All in the Family
Allison Albrecht and Samantha Cannizarro are thrown together when their parents become engaged. Sam is deaf, so Allison begins to learn sign language. Allison is eager to please Sam and to make a good impression on her. Sam does not care about good impressions. She is a loner, always has been. She resents her new instant family, especially her stepmother-to-be. Sam is also reluctant to bond with three-year-old Allen. However, Allison and Allen gradually crack Sam's facade, and the two girls fall in love.But life in a stepfamily is rarely easy. Throw in romance between two stepsiblings, and the ride is going to be bumpy.
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
11 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Q. Kelly
47 books74 followersI live in Virginia, where I am a writer and an editor. I also have a master's degree in deaf education. In my free time, I hike and savor frappuccinos.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 1, 2016
I've yet to encounter Q. Kelly's book where the relationships are plain same-old, usual, ordinary... These characters are no joke, nothing is easy in these books, there is no "lemonade" moments... Everything is so raw, and I love that she usually writes about socially marginalized people with a seriously disturbed environment during their growing up...
November 9, 2016
So many loopholes and assholes, ugh. This was not an easy read for me, with the recurring monologues and dialogues on a very horrible experience. I purposely avoid reading that kind of narrations. Then there was the added angle of love triangle for which the final pair I did not care in the end.
March 17, 2020
Not really sure what to think of this - young love that is well written, but has other characters who make me squirm. Is it supposed to shock? Make me think? Strange. Perhaps I should reread as feel I have missed something. Like reading a private secret without understanding what that secret is.
May 8, 2019
I am a fan of Q. Kelly's books and so was just as captivated by this storyline as others. There is something often found with this author's characters and that is the unusual relationship dynamics.
Nice read
Nice read
November 25, 2016
I am a very big fan of Q. Kelly's writing. I have most, if not all, of her books. I enjoyed reading all and rereading some of them. For some reason, I just could not finish All in the Family. I got to the half way point where Allison and Sam are caught having sex. They break things off and I quit reading.
I promised myself that I'd finish this fine novel. I started reading it again after three and a half years. I got to that damn midway point and wanted to stop again. This time I just kept going. I am glad that I did.
Even though this isn't my favorite novel by one of my favourite writers, it has great characters, an interesting storyline and wonderful words. This romance takes its twists and turns but it's a soulmate love story. This love is as deep, wide and strong as a force of nature or the Borg.
I promised myself that I'd finish this fine novel. I started reading it again after three and a half years. I got to that damn midway point and wanted to stop again. This time I just kept going. I am glad that I did.
Even though this isn't my favorite novel by one of my favourite writers, it has great characters, an interesting storyline and wonderful words. This romance takes its twists and turns but it's a soulmate love story. This love is as deep, wide and strong as a force of nature or the Borg.
January 6, 2012
You can always count on Q. Kelly to bring you deliciously complicated plots with beautifully flawed characters. This was a great read and the author did an honorable job developing these characters that I couldn't stop rooting for.
March 18, 2021
Emotional Read But Lack Real Depth . . .
I’m still wrestling with how much of an emotional roller coaster this book took me on. The storyline has so much going for it at the start but the ending was such a let down. Some characters will piss you off *cough Helen *double cough Susan, and others will surprise you.
Overall I loved Sam and Allison and was rooting for them to get their HEA, but I felt like there was just too much drama for them and not all of it was properly addressed before it was all over. I guess the book was more bittersweet than joyous romance and maybe that’s why I feel conflicted emotions, especially since the epilogue wasn’t really focused on MC’s future (i.e. 3 kids a house) but their weird family so idk, but it’s definitely worth a read.
I’m still wrestling with how much of an emotional roller coaster this book took me on. The storyline has so much going for it at the start but the ending was such a let down. Some characters will piss you off *cough Helen *double cough Susan, and others will surprise you.
Overall I loved Sam and Allison and was rooting for them to get their HEA, but I felt like there was just too much drama for them and not all of it was properly addressed before it was all over. I guess the book was more bittersweet than joyous romance and maybe that’s why I feel conflicted emotions, especially since the epilogue wasn’t really focused on MC’s future (i.e. 3 kids a house) but their weird family so idk, but it’s definitely worth a read.
October 6, 2018
A twelve year old is attacked by her mother's boyfriend.
A troubling time to grow up being pregnant at twelve years old and the future is highly uncertain to say the least. Allison has to grow up fast. Her mother gets remarried to a man whose daughter is deaf. Sam has always been on the outside since she loss her hearing. The complications that come out while they are both growing up. Do the two of them finally reconcile with each other? Enjoy!
A troubling time to grow up being pregnant at twelve years old and the future is highly uncertain to say the least. Allison has to grow up fast. Her mother gets remarried to a man whose daughter is deaf. Sam has always been on the outside since she loss her hearing. The complications that come out while they are both growing up. Do the two of them finally reconcile with each other? Enjoy!
May 26, 2021
Great book
This book was awesome. I liked how when they fist met they actually fell for each other but then things fell apart. I loved it at the end that they finally got back to each other.
This book was awesome. I liked how when they fist met they actually fell for each other but then things fell apart. I loved it at the end that they finally got back to each other.
January 5, 2024
3.5
at moments it felt like the author was high whilst writing this book because there are certain moments where you think what the fuck and not in a good way
at moments it felt like the author was high whilst writing this book because there are certain moments where you think what the fuck and not in a good way
February 7, 2013
Q Kelly writes real life. What I mean by that is that all the characters come to life and you are allowed to live in their heads for a while, at least some of them. I know she writes what she knows but even so she breathes in even more realism than maybe reality can stand. In this case, we step inside a girl who is profoundly hearing impaired. We get to see what life is like for her. She's no wimp but like any of us feels left out when the people around her won't include her in the conversation. But the disability doesn't define her, it is a mere aspect of a well formed jewel of a main character. This is a teen finding her way through life and dysfunctional family issues. Add to that her emerging sexuality isn't the "norm" and each problem is exponentially enlarged.
It is fun to watch the main character grow. It is, also, fun to watch her new blended family grow and stretch around each other and away from each other. Her new stepsister is the most interesting of all. She has been to hell and back with her own mother, a sexually abusive ex step father, and the resultant pregnancy as a pre-teen and all the layers of life decisions this poor girl had to make as a child. Q Kelly brings her to life also.
This is a most amazing book. Thank goodness for a sleepless night so I could read this in one night. I read using text-to-speech on my Kindle. That leaves my hands free to do other things so I got distracted on my first try reading this. I got all the way to 9% when I realized I had the people mixed up and couldn't tell who was who. So I started over and concentrated, actually looking at the words being read to me and finally got it. I don't think that was the author's fault. I think it was mine. But re-reading that part made the characters and the set up more concrete. Now I was invested in these characters and cared.
My only problem with the book is what happened to the son. There is a gun issue and I don't want to put out any spoilers but I had hoped for a more in depth healing for that child. He begins to sound like a future bad guy. Is it just me?
Anyway, I think everyone should read this book. It helps give the reader that mile in someone else's shoes. It increases love and understanding of fellow travelers on this road of life. Thanks, Q Kelly!
It is fun to watch the main character grow. It is, also, fun to watch her new blended family grow and stretch around each other and away from each other. Her new stepsister is the most interesting of all. She has been to hell and back with her own mother, a sexually abusive ex step father, and the resultant pregnancy as a pre-teen and all the layers of life decisions this poor girl had to make as a child. Q Kelly brings her to life also.
This is a most amazing book. Thank goodness for a sleepless night so I could read this in one night. I read using text-to-speech on my Kindle. That leaves my hands free to do other things so I got distracted on my first try reading this. I got all the way to 9% when I realized I had the people mixed up and couldn't tell who was who. So I started over and concentrated, actually looking at the words being read to me and finally got it. I don't think that was the author's fault. I think it was mine. But re-reading that part made the characters and the set up more concrete. Now I was invested in these characters and cared.
My only problem with the book is what happened to the son. There is a gun issue and I don't want to put out any spoilers but I had hoped for a more in depth healing for that child. He begins to sound like a future bad guy. Is it just me?
Anyway, I think everyone should read this book. It helps give the reader that mile in someone else's shoes. It increases love and understanding of fellow travelers on this road of life. Thanks, Q Kelly!
May 15, 2021
Ho boy. There's no way I'll finish this. The reasons are manifold.
On a simple level: the romance. I'm not feeling it. The characters fall in love practically overnight while not really interacting that much. I have no clue where that is coming from.
The characters. Not well-developed, some are more caricatures than fully-realized characters (the parents). The mother especially.
At the same time the book is filled with different topics. The romance between two teenage stepsisters, one of them is deaf and the deafness is an issue in the family (I enjoyed that part), the sexual abuse of one of them and the resulting problems with her mother, not to mention that she has a son from that abuse. Too much to handle at once apparently.
And lastly, and that was a real disappointment, the writing is kind of a mess. Very stilted all the way through, at times sounding like bad fanfiction. Way too descriptive, way too many points of view. Every character has a say, mostly presented in the way of inner monologue. Ugh.
I had similar issues with the re-issue of this author's The Odd Couple, a book I loved when it was first published (by a publisher). The re-write it was given didn't work for me, and here, too, I think the book would have benefited greatly from a capable outside edit.
On a simple level: the romance. I'm not feeling it. The characters fall in love practically overnight while not really interacting that much. I have no clue where that is coming from.
The characters. Not well-developed, some are more caricatures than fully-realized characters (the parents). The mother especially.
At the same time the book is filled with different topics. The romance between two teenage stepsisters, one of them is deaf and the deafness is an issue in the family (I enjoyed that part), the sexual abuse of one of them and the resulting problems with her mother, not to mention that she has a son from that abuse. Too much to handle at once apparently.
And lastly, and that was a real disappointment, the writing is kind of a mess. Very stilted all the way through, at times sounding like bad fanfiction. Way too descriptive, way too many points of view. Every character has a say, mostly presented in the way of inner monologue. Ugh.
I had similar issues with the re-issue of this author's The Odd Couple, a book I loved when it was first published (by a publisher). The re-write it was given didn't work for me, and here, too, I think the book would have benefited greatly from a capable outside edit.
February 5, 2012
I'm never disappointed by this author! All in the Family takes a unique spin on a blended family and throws romance in to make it even more complicated. This author loves complicated relationships and that is true to life. Life is never all dandy and roses. There's always complications. I love how Q Kelly lets real emotions through, even though most of us hide our emotions and true feelings. Getting into the heads of these characters shows real thoughts, real emotions, real love. I was rooting for the protagonists the whole time, no matter what happened or how many years went by. Thanks, Q, for another great story. When's the next one coming??????
January 11, 2012
It was really I finished it in one day. I'm adding it to my reread list.
January 30, 2012
too angsty for me, skipped 10-15% right before wedding day, ending kinda short.
May 27, 2012
I am a big fan of this Author's writing because I always love her characters - they are so human and flawed, but very likeable and easy to root for. This is my favorite of all her books.
October 26, 2015
2012 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews