All the Little Ways

by Laura Lekkos

In the vein of Pineapple Street and Such a Fun Age, a smart, heartfelt debut novel about two expecting mothers navigating motherhood, family life, and female friendship, whose bond is threatened by a shocking revelation.

Victoria and Liz barely breathe the same air, but they collide headfirst when they meet in a group for expectant mothers and find common ground against all odds.

Victoria, forty-three, is confident, poised, and powerful, on the fast track to major career success in finance. Having kids is not in the plan. She had avoided love for decades—and hadn’t been too keen on female friendship either—when she fell for Ace, a dashing man twenty years her senior.

Liz, thirty-two, lives a fairly unstable life, trying to make her situationship work and navigate a job on a vile reality dating show. She’s desperately wanted to experience motherhood for her entire life, but anxiety and insecurity have landed her with a laundry list of failed romances. It’s an accident—ish—when she gets pregnant with her emotionally elusive boyfriend Chase’s baby just shy of a year into dating.

When Liz and Victoria meet in a parenting class, they both feel out of place amongst these pregnant women who seem to have it all figured out. They roll their eyes at the classic sign-off peppering the new mommy group TIA (thanks in advance!). Alienated from these other women and due within a week of each other, Victoria and Liz’s bond becomes a lifeline as they navigate their pregnancies and relationships. They grapple with impending motherhood together and lean on each other to navigate important decisions about family, career, and love. It’s the first successful female friendship in Victoria’s life and the first time Liz has felt so connected to an older, wiser confidante. Maybe, just maybe, it will all be okay.

But as they grow more secure in their futures with each other’s support, the friends confront a shocking turn of events that will change the course of both their lives. Victoria and Liz then must reckon with their relationships, their impending journeys of motherhood, and the strength of their own bond in this unforgettable work of women’s fiction.

Genres: Fiction

320 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication June 9, 2026

Reviews

[Ellen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book. Victoria and Liz are both so relatable. Loved that both of them were very different from each other but they formed a strong bond. Seeing how they both navigate life, love, careers, and motherhood was fascinating and I feel like what they struggle with is so relevant for me as a woman in today’s world. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Wendy Remez · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars-Victoria and Liz are vastly different. Victoria is gives bad ass b vibes (in my mind Meryl Streep Devil Wears Prada, but in finance not fashion). She’s married to Ace, 20 years her senior, and is pregnant, though that was maybe not her exact plan she planned. Liz is also pregnant with a forgot to take her pills baby. She and her boyfriend decide to move in together after she tells him the night he was planning to break up with her (maybe????) The two meet at a baby store and don’t exactly hit it off at first, but a new mom class brings them together. They become fast friends and have each other’s backs in everything until a huge secret rips them apart. The characters were likable and their friendship felt genuine, however, it did take a bit of the plot to move beyond being a little bit superficial (like almost halfway through). I had book the book down for a bit and came back to it and at that point I was all in, and can see why many reviewers have rated this five stars. It was a good lesson in friendship and how the people we choose are often the ones that we will do anything for. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Rae Bradshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the Little Ways by Laura Lekkos is a tender, beautifully woven exploration of the quiet rituals that shape our lives and relationships. With lyrical prose and vivid imagery, Lekkos invites readers into a world where the smallest gestures—a shared cup of coffee, a handwritten note, a spontaneous dance in the kitchen—carry profound emotional weight. The narrative unfolds with warmth and introspection, celebrating the everyday magic of human connection. It’s a heartfelt reminder that love often resides not in grand declarations, but in the gentle, consistent ways we show up for one another.