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All the Little Moments #1
All the Little Moments
A successful anaesthetist, Anna is focused on herself, her career, and her girlfriend. Everything changes abruptly when her brother’s and sister-in-law’s deaths devastate her and her family. Left responsible for her young niece and nephew, Anna finds herself dumped and alone in Melbourne, a city she doesn’t even like. She tries to navigate the shock of looking after two children battling with their grief while managing her own.
Filled with self-doubt, Anna feels as if she’s making a mess of the entire thing, especially when she collides with a long-legged stranger. Anna barely has time to brush her teeth in the morning, let alone to date a woman—least of all one who has no idea about the two kids under her care.
Just when Anna finally starts to feel as if she’s getting some control of the situation, the biggest fight begins and Anna really has to step up once and for all.
Filled with self-doubt, Anna feels as if she’s making a mess of the entire thing, especially when she collides with a long-legged stranger. Anna barely has time to brush her teeth in the morning, let alone to date a woman—least of all one who has no idea about the two kids under her care.
Just when Anna finally starts to feel as if she’s getting some control of the situation, the biggest fight begins and Anna really has to step up once and for all.
372 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 12, 2015
126 people are currently reading
2456 people want to read
About the author
G. Benson
16 books949 followersBenson spent her childhood wrapped up in any book she could get her hands on and—as her mother likes to tell people at parties—even found a way to read in the shower. Moving on from writing bad poetry (thankfully) she started to write stories. About anything and everything. Tearing her from her laptop is a fairly difficult feat, though if you come bearing coffee you have a good chance.
When not writing or reading, she´s got her butt firmly on a train or plane to see the big wide world. Originally from Australia, she currently lives in Spain, speaking terrible Spanish and going on as many trips to new places as she can, budget permitting. This means she mostly walks around the city she lives in.
When not writing or reading, she´s got her butt firmly on a train or plane to see the big wide world. Originally from Australia, she currently lives in Spain, speaking terrible Spanish and going on as many trips to new places as she can, budget permitting. This means she mostly walks around the city she lives in.
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April 18, 2022the fact that more than 75% of wlw book covers are ugly is so homophobic 🙄 could someone hire a new book cover designer please ?? 😭
October 18, 2017
'Ylva-Publishing ARC provided in exchange for a fair and honest review'
Which is harder to come to terms with: having your life turn upside-down because of family tragedy,losing your girlfriend right after,family issues/drama,having to take responsibility of your brother's two young kids and also take ownership of his house,relocate to another town/city? Well G.Benson tackled all of these topics plus a slew of other plotline that was thought provoking at times,emotionally draining,heartwrenching,humorous and also informative. The many different characters,adorable kids and scenery were all pretty vivid and easy to picture nonetheless having a few disparaging storylines added to this well written book will surely not disappoint her fan base. In short,this book is a good read that speaks to something so present,yet so intangible because of the chemistry that each child had towards the adults in this story which was inevitably and irrevocably good for everyone...recommend
Which is harder to come to terms with: having your life turn upside-down because of family tragedy,losing your girlfriend right after,family issues/drama,having to take responsibility of your brother's two young kids and also take ownership of his house,relocate to another town/city? Well G.Benson tackled all of these topics plus a slew of other plotline that was thought provoking at times,emotionally draining,heartwrenching,humorous and also informative. The many different characters,adorable kids and scenery were all pretty vivid and easy to picture nonetheless having a few disparaging storylines added to this well written book will surely not disappoint her fan base. In short,this book is a good read that speaks to something so present,yet so intangible because of the chemistry that each child had towards the adults in this story which was inevitably and irrevocably good for everyone...recommend
July 8, 2017
I was starting to feel that I was one of the only people who didn't know about this book. 38, of my Goodreads friends, have either read this or marked it to read. I thought to myself, I better check this book out. And boy, I'm so glad I did! It was wonderful. I would say it's one of the better romances I've read in a while... but it was so much more than that. It was a story about overcoming tragedy, raising kids, and building a life. The romance was actually a less important part of the story when you look back on all the scenes that made this book so great.
I was less than half way through this book when I realized, I had cried 4 times, said "aaaaaaaw thats so cute" about a dozen times, and enjoyed some pretty steam sex scenes, already. And yes this is a tear-jerker, have your tissues ready at all times.
This was so wonderfully written, that it made you feel so many different emotions. It's one of those book you will remember, long after you finished reading. I would happily recommend this to any lesfic fans. Don't miss this one!
I was less than half way through this book when I realized, I had cried 4 times, said "aaaaaaaw thats so cute" about a dozen times, and enjoyed some pretty steam sex scenes, already. And yes this is a tear-jerker, have your tissues ready at all times.
This was so wonderfully written, that it made you feel so many different emotions. It's one of those book you will remember, long after you finished reading. I would happily recommend this to any lesfic fans. Don't miss this one!
February 19, 2017
A beautiful, warm story of love, loss and family. I'm so looking forward to G. Benson's next book -- can't believe this is her debut novel.
March 15, 2021
I like G. Benson for a few reasons, one of which is she's the person who recommended Telanu's "Truth and Measure", the best fanfic I've now ever read and reread at least three times a year, in an interview several years ago and it was off to the races for me on that...
And I really loved her book, "Who'd Have Thought". So much so that I gave it five stars. Her other book "Flinging It", got three stars from me.
That said, "All the Little Moments" is Benson's debut book and I place it as solidly good: Four stars. What I will say, though, is that this is my second attempt to read it. My first attempt was a few years back when everyone was raving about it. I got about a quarter the way through and put it down because I felt it was sooooooo slow and maybe even dull?
So, with the passing of time, and the fact that I was able to get the audiobook version, I thought I'd give it another go. I still land with the opinion that the book is slow. It's not only a decent slow burn romance but it's a slow burn of a book in general. It takes time for Benson to set the stage for Anna's character, a fairly independent career woman, and watch her evolve into the family woman that she is. And frankly, this story needed that pace. The book holds a lot of grief in it and to rush by any of it either for Anna, her family, or the kids she takes on would've cheapened the experience.
So ultimately, pacing was fine. There is also a really strong and healthy romance to be found here between Anna and Lane. Just know going into this story that it's more a book about Anna and her journey that happens to have romance instead of it being a romance in and of itself.
Benson has a lot of strengths in this book:
*Benson's career background is in the medical field so having a doctor and nurse as lead characters felt completely authentic
*Anna was a compelling and sympathetic lead character
*Grief and tragedy were treated with respect
*The kids felt realistic and were main characters that were handled with the regard they deserved instead of flimsy side characters to prove a point or push a plot
*Anna and Lane felt like healthy adults that communicated. LOVED THIS!
*Dialogue and scenes all flowed naturally
*Steamy intimacy scenes
*Well-rounded cast overall
My final impression is that this is a really good book. It does have a slower pacing and lots of feels, both high and low. You'll feel you've been on a journey by the end. It's not one to go into if you want something easy and light or a hot romance but one to go for a deeply satisfying and warm read.
And I really loved her book, "Who'd Have Thought". So much so that I gave it five stars. Her other book "Flinging It", got three stars from me.
That said, "All the Little Moments" is Benson's debut book and I place it as solidly good: Four stars. What I will say, though, is that this is my second attempt to read it. My first attempt was a few years back when everyone was raving about it. I got about a quarter the way through and put it down because I felt it was sooooooo slow and maybe even dull?
So, with the passing of time, and the fact that I was able to get the audiobook version, I thought I'd give it another go. I still land with the opinion that the book is slow. It's not only a decent slow burn romance but it's a slow burn of a book in general. It takes time for Benson to set the stage for Anna's character, a fairly independent career woman, and watch her evolve into the family woman that she is. And frankly, this story needed that pace. The book holds a lot of grief in it and to rush by any of it either for Anna, her family, or the kids she takes on would've cheapened the experience.
So ultimately, pacing was fine. There is also a really strong and healthy romance to be found here between Anna and Lane. Just know going into this story that it's more a book about Anna and her journey that happens to have romance instead of it being a romance in and of itself.
Benson has a lot of strengths in this book:
*Benson's career background is in the medical field so having a doctor and nurse as lead characters felt completely authentic
*Anna was a compelling and sympathetic lead character
*Grief and tragedy were treated with respect
*The kids felt realistic and were main characters that were handled with the regard they deserved instead of flimsy side characters to prove a point or push a plot
*Anna and Lane felt like healthy adults that communicated. LOVED THIS!
*Dialogue and scenes all flowed naturally
*Steamy intimacy scenes
*Well-rounded cast overall
My final impression is that this is a really good book. It does have a slower pacing and lots of feels, both high and low. You'll feel you've been on a journey by the end. It's not one to go into if you want something easy and light or a hot romance but one to go for a deeply satisfying and warm read.
February 7, 2018
*I received this book from Ylva Publishing for an honest review*
This is one of those difficult books to read. Oddly ‘unputdownable’, yet still angsty. Well, I say that because I do not normally find angst among the things I normally find with books I can’t stop reading.
In my second book by this author that I’ve read, the main and only point of view character, Anna, opens the book in a car on the way to her parents place . . . cutting short a longish vacation with her long-term girlfriend, Hayley. Cut short because her best friend – her brother Jake, and her other friend, his wife Sally, were killed in a car accident. Losing either/both immediately and permanently alters Anna’s life. Then the will is read and her life is altered even more – for the woman who never planned nor wanted children, is now the guardian to her brother’s two children – six year old Ella and 18 month old Toby. Anna is rather reluctant to take on this burden.
By the half way mark I was vaguely confused and worried, there was a bunch of angst and drama up to this point – the book is filled with it – but everything seemed ‘set’ now. Kids, support system that includes Anna, Anna’s mother (father’s still around but hiding), and Anna’s two new friends Kym and Lane (with Lane being more than just a new friend). Then Cathy, Sally’s mother, suddenly turned up. And there were like huge blinking lights foreshadowing the horrors that would be unleashed by this evil horrible women. And, sadly, I was right in my perception.
I’d a loose idea that the book was a medical fiction involving lesbians, one of whom had dark skin, and that the book was by an author I’d recently read and rather enjoyed. Beyond that I hadn’t read too closely about the book to know what I was getting myself into when I opened it up and dove in.
There’s the trauma of death, relocation, relationships collapsing, forming, new responsibilities, and all that to navigate. Since there’s just the one point of view, everyone but her is something of a side character . . . or something like that. Which I mention more because I wanted to express my admiration for how deeply and well-constructed the many different characters were in this book. From the main – Anna, to Lane (girlfriend), to Kym (new friend), to Sandra (Anna and jake’s mother), to even Toby & Ella (Jake & Sally’s kids). None of these characters, at least, were stand-ins, paper thin. They all had stories and structure to them. In the beginning there was even enough there to build up an idea of both Jake and Sally, who were never, at any point in this novel, alive to present themselves to the reader.
Others, it is true, were more ‘as needed’ type characters, but there were enough well-formed characters to fill up a book. As needed as in – Andrew, Jake and Anna’s father, had something of his character presented through the almost constant refrain of how Anna and/or others were like or not like him in certain ways (like how he dove into his study and into a bottle of whiskey after his son died – hiding his emotions), though he was more someone to work around than someone to rely upon – which was the point – in its way.
Long and short of it is that this was a rather good and interesting book. Somewhat hard to read from the lingering after effects of death (both Jake & Sally, and, in addition, Kym’s husband as well).
It was interesting to watch Anna morph from the woman who opened the book – the woman who was super career focused and dead set against children to the woman she became by the end of the book.
Well, I’ve run out of things to say, at least out of things I can squeeze out and sprinkle over the screen to reflect my thoughts. Ah, I know – I’ve reached the point where I’m talking nonsense, yeah, that’s it, so I’ll depart.
Rating: 5.25
February 7 2018
This is one of those difficult books to read. Oddly ‘unputdownable’, yet still angsty. Well, I say that because I do not normally find angst among the things I normally find with books I can’t stop reading.
In my second book by this author that I’ve read, the main and only point of view character, Anna, opens the book in a car on the way to her parents place . . . cutting short a longish vacation with her long-term girlfriend, Hayley. Cut short because her best friend – her brother Jake, and her other friend, his wife Sally, were killed in a car accident. Losing either/both immediately and permanently alters Anna’s life. Then the will is read and her life is altered even more – for the woman who never planned nor wanted children, is now the guardian to her brother’s two children – six year old Ella and 18 month old Toby. Anna is rather reluctant to take on this burden.
By the half way mark I was vaguely confused and worried, there was a bunch of angst and drama up to this point – the book is filled with it – but everything seemed ‘set’ now. Kids, support system that includes Anna, Anna’s mother (father’s still around but hiding), and Anna’s two new friends Kym and Lane (with Lane being more than just a new friend). Then Cathy, Sally’s mother, suddenly turned up. And there were like huge blinking lights foreshadowing the horrors that would be unleashed by this evil horrible women. And, sadly, I was right in my perception.
I’d a loose idea that the book was a medical fiction involving lesbians, one of whom had dark skin, and that the book was by an author I’d recently read and rather enjoyed. Beyond that I hadn’t read too closely about the book to know what I was getting myself into when I opened it up and dove in.
There’s the trauma of death, relocation, relationships collapsing, forming, new responsibilities, and all that to navigate. Since there’s just the one point of view, everyone but her is something of a side character . . . or something like that. Which I mention more because I wanted to express my admiration for how deeply and well-constructed the many different characters were in this book. From the main – Anna, to Lane (girlfriend), to Kym (new friend), to Sandra (Anna and jake’s mother), to even Toby & Ella (Jake & Sally’s kids). None of these characters, at least, were stand-ins, paper thin. They all had stories and structure to them. In the beginning there was even enough there to build up an idea of both Jake and Sally, who were never, at any point in this novel, alive to present themselves to the reader.
Others, it is true, were more ‘as needed’ type characters, but there were enough well-formed characters to fill up a book. As needed as in – Andrew, Jake and Anna’s father, had something of his character presented through the almost constant refrain of how Anna and/or others were like or not like him in certain ways (like how he dove into his study and into a bottle of whiskey after his son died – hiding his emotions), though he was more someone to work around than someone to rely upon – which was the point – in its way.
Long and short of it is that this was a rather good and interesting book. Somewhat hard to read from the lingering after effects of death (both Jake & Sally, and, in addition, Kym’s husband as well).
It was interesting to watch Anna morph from the woman who opened the book – the woman who was super career focused and dead set against children to the woman she became by the end of the book.
Well, I’ve run out of things to say, at least out of things I can squeeze out and sprinkle over the screen to reflect my thoughts. Ah, I know – I’ve reached the point where I’m talking nonsense, yeah, that’s it, so I’ll depart.
Rating: 5.25
February 7 2018
January 16, 2025
Yes, we have a winner!
I laughed with them and cried with them. This is one of those books you just can't put down. It's a touching story with real life issues. Some struggles Anna went through is just heartwrenching. I liked Kym and Anna's mother for their awesome friendship and support they lent to Anna. The emotions felt so real. Oh, and Lane, there's nothing not to like about this woman. But most of all, I loved Toby and Ella, they are so cute and adds a lot of heartwarming moments to the story. I highly recommend this one.
I laughed with them and cried with them. This is one of those books you just can't put down. It's a touching story with real life issues. Some struggles Anna went through is just heartwrenching. I liked Kym and Anna's mother for their awesome friendship and support they lent to Anna. The emotions felt so real. Oh, and Lane, there's nothing not to like about this woman. But most of all, I loved Toby and Ella, they are so cute and adds a lot of heartwarming moments to the story. I highly recommend this one.
November 8, 2017
I completely fell in love with the characters in this book. The main characters, Anna and Lane, the secondary characters, Sandra and Kym, and the children, Ella and Tobes.
The story is different from most of the lesbian romances I've read and very, very well done. The author takes her time with the development of the relationships and I felt completely invested in every aspect of the book.
I laughed and I cried. Dropped several tears in a few different places.
I highly recommend this book and I can't wait to read more from her.
The story is different from most of the lesbian romances I've read and very, very well done. The author takes her time with the development of the relationships and I felt completely invested in every aspect of the book.
I laughed and I cried. Dropped several tears in a few different places.
I highly recommend this book and I can't wait to read more from her.
January 23, 2023
In all honesty I considered leaving the book a few chapters in. It was just too sad and I wasn’t ready to feel that much for the rest of the book. However since it’s G. Benson I decided to push through and feel whatever she wanted me to feel, even if it was heartbreaking. I’m so glad I did because despite the heart wrenching moments, there’s also many beautiful times that made it all worth it. It’s not going on my favorites list but it was definitely a good read, loved all the characters so much (except a couple that you’ll know if you read it hahah).
January 22, 2016
Completely fell head over heels for this book. My heart ached for Anna, I developed a big old crush on Lane because she's wonderful, and I wanted to hug Kym.
This is going on my list of all time favourites and I will read it again and again. It's sad and funny and sexy and how it deals with family and relationships and grief is so good. How is this her first book? Ylva has been killing it with the authors they're signing.
Full review here: http://www.thelesbianreview.com/all-t...
This is going on my list of all time favourites and I will read it again and again. It's sad and funny and sexy and how it deals with family and relationships and grief is so good. How is this her first book? Ylva has been killing it with the authors they're signing.
Full review here: http://www.thelesbianreview.com/all-t...
August 22, 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed All the Little Moments. This past week I rushed through jobs and chores to return to the lives of Anna, Lane, Kym, Sandra and two of the cutest additions to lesfic romance in recent years, six-year old Ella and toddler Toby.
This gem is why I will always take a chance on debut authors. G. Benson has written a memorable love story. She takes her time building the relationship between Anna and Lane and this and a strong cast of supporting characters makes the book feel natural and authentic.
Anna is torn in so many directions, mourning the loss of her brother and his wife, taking on the challenge of raising their children and starting a new job. Lane and Kym are the friends and lover we all wish we could have for our own and the reason Anna copes with all the challenges she faces as the story unfolds. The children are adorable but also very real. They whine, throw tantrums and cause many a sleep (and sleepover) interruption.
Benson has the ability to bring a tear to your eye one moment and have you smiling the next. She writes genuine emotions, nothing forced. There is conflict, regrets, uncertainty and sorrow. There are also moments of whimsy, laughter, understanding and support.
Impressive debut by an author who just made my must read list.
This gem is why I will always take a chance on debut authors. G. Benson has written a memorable love story. She takes her time building the relationship between Anna and Lane and this and a strong cast of supporting characters makes the book feel natural and authentic.
Anna is torn in so many directions, mourning the loss of her brother and his wife, taking on the challenge of raising their children and starting a new job. Lane and Kym are the friends and lover we all wish we could have for our own and the reason Anna copes with all the challenges she faces as the story unfolds. The children are adorable but also very real. They whine, throw tantrums and cause many a sleep (and sleepover) interruption.
Benson has the ability to bring a tear to your eye one moment and have you smiling the next. She writes genuine emotions, nothing forced. There is conflict, regrets, uncertainty and sorrow. There are also moments of whimsy, laughter, understanding and support.
Impressive debut by an author who just made my must read list.
December 29, 2020
I had a feeling the author was going to make Anna pull a stupid. She had telegraphed it from half a novel away, but I couldn't believe she'd actually do it. She did. So I'm done at 70%. Worse, Lane saw it coming and asked Anna to have faith in her and in them. She didn't. So I'm completely done and completely disgusted with everyone involved. And it doesn't help that to make it possible, Anna herself has to have internalized homophobic rationales and reinforce them by her actions. And do so against her lawyer's advice.
So yeah, one star. I'm bitterly disappointed because I liked Lane and she doesn't deserve the heartwrecker that is Anna. And here's the thing that's the deeper tragedy, though I'll admit that it's subtle. By giving the despicable religious zealots unaccountable power and success, this story essentially tells people that those forces of hate actually have power in reality. The story tells us that gay people fearing and appeasing those forces of hate is rational. It does so through Anna, who is a highly successful, well-educated adult with every other advantage except that she is gay. Anna is supposed to be smart. She's well-respected and has friends and family and ties to the community. And yet she fears that just having a girlfriend is, all by itself, enough to lose her custody of her niece and nephew. This is not a good message, however subtle or buried in extraneous emotional context it is because it reinforces fear and carries the scars of bygone days forward into future generations who might internalize that message. And I'd hate to see the next generation of lgbt folks pre-capitulating out of fear and a sense of powerlessness they don't deserve.
So yeah, one star. I'm bitterly disappointed because I liked Lane and she doesn't deserve the heartwrecker that is Anna. And here's the thing that's the deeper tragedy, though I'll admit that it's subtle. By giving the despicable religious zealots unaccountable power and success, this story essentially tells people that those forces of hate actually have power in reality. The story tells us that gay people fearing and appeasing those forces of hate is rational. It does so through Anna, who is a highly successful, well-educated adult with every other advantage except that she is gay. Anna is supposed to be smart. She's well-respected and has friends and family and ties to the community. And yet she fears that just having a girlfriend is, all by itself, enough to lose her custody of her niece and nephew. This is not a good message, however subtle or buried in extraneous emotional context it is because it reinforces fear and carries the scars of bygone days forward into future generations who might internalize that message. And I'd hate to see the next generation of lgbt folks pre-capitulating out of fear and a sense of powerlessness they don't deserve.
May 6, 2019
Heartbreaking yet so good (and with a happy end). It’s my second Benson book and both are 5*. Looking forward to the next one. In the meantime, I’ll reread Who’d have thought.
September 10, 2015
Lovely and emotional read about life, loss, love and acceptance. Lots of awesome characters. Though one of the leads was a tad too perfect. And things got a little too sappy at times, but it's well-balanced with some antsy as well as some angsty moments. Lesfic lovers will swoon over the well-developed romance, but the best parts, imho, are those that deal with the family relationships (Ella/Toby and Anna, Anna and her parents) and how everyone in the book dealt with loss so differently, in their own way--some better, some worse and some not at all. Overall, a warm, feel good read anyone can fall in love with.
4.6 stars
4.6 stars
November 28, 2019
5 Stars for a re-read but this time in Audiobook format. Actually, I'm pretty sure this is at least my third re-read.
It was a favorite book in 2016 and still a favorite in 2019. I think I enjoyed the audiobook more then when I read it myself. I didn't think that was possible. Its likely because of the narrator, Cat Gould. I hadn't heard her before and I thought she was excellent. Although I can't comment on the validity of her Aussie accents I can say she was able to handle the large cast of characters giving each of them distinctive voices, from little kids to older adults. What I did notice is that she had a distinct Narrator voice when reading non-dialog lines. I had the feeling that perhaps that was her "real" voice. This style made listening very easy.
So if you want to read a good book - check this one out. If you've read it before and thinking of doing a re-read - consider the audiobook. If you've never read it...What!? I highly recommend it in any format.
It was a favorite book in 2016 and still a favorite in 2019. I think I enjoyed the audiobook more then when I read it myself. I didn't think that was possible. Its likely because of the narrator, Cat Gould. I hadn't heard her before and I thought she was excellent. Although I can't comment on the validity of her Aussie accents I can say she was able to handle the large cast of characters giving each of them distinctive voices, from little kids to older adults. What I did notice is that she had a distinct Narrator voice when reading non-dialog lines. I had the feeling that perhaps that was her "real" voice. This style made listening very easy.
So if you want to read a good book - check this one out. If you've read it before and thinking of doing a re-read - consider the audiobook. If you've never read it...What!? I highly recommend it in any format.
January 19, 2025
This book snuck up on me. The story begins in a tragic way. Doctor Anna Foster is an Anesthetist, living with her girlfriend, enjoying her relatively carefree life when she gets the news that her brother and his wife were killed in a car accident. Later, she learns that they had named her as legal guardian of their six year old daughter and 16 month old son in case of their deaths. Although she loves the kids, she is petrified at what this new responsibility will mean.
One of the major changes is that she has to move home and job to Melbourne so the children can still live in their house and Anna’s parents can be close by. Her girlfriend wants no part of the move or the kids so she stays behind which is another blow. The book could have been overwhelming and it is at times. But then the author segues the story into that of a new parent’s journey. Anna struggles and has her wins and failures as she learns her way with Ella and Toby. She does it with humor and sometimes tears. The toughest part is that she has to almost eat her own grief to be able to help the children with theirs. But the love and joy of this new family of three is powerful. Anna’s mother, her new friend, Kym, and her new girlfriend, Lane, are who keep Anna standing when things become too much.
Now comes the part where I let my guard down because I forgot there’s always somebody who cannot stand happy people, especially when those happy people are queer. I almost pulled an all nighter and went to work on no sleep trying to finish the book. Heartbreaking and messy but also full of good people fighting to do the right thing. Another book full of hope and love, this time from the author who gave me my go-to comfort read, Who’d Have Thought.
One of the major changes is that she has to move home and job to Melbourne so the children can still live in their house and Anna’s parents can be close by. Her girlfriend wants no part of the move or the kids so she stays behind which is another blow. The book could have been overwhelming and it is at times. But then the author segues the story into that of a new parent’s journey. Anna struggles and has her wins and failures as she learns her way with Ella and Toby. She does it with humor and sometimes tears. The toughest part is that she has to almost eat her own grief to be able to help the children with theirs. But the love and joy of this new family of three is powerful. Anna’s mother, her new friend, Kym, and her new girlfriend, Lane, are who keep Anna standing when things become too much.
Now comes the part where I let my guard down because I forgot there’s always somebody who cannot stand happy people, especially when those happy people are queer. I almost pulled an all nighter and went to work on no sleep trying to finish the book. Heartbreaking and messy but also full of good people fighting to do the right thing. Another book full of hope and love, this time from the author who gave me my go-to comfort read, Who’d Have Thought.
September 19, 2021
I’ve been looking at this one and always thought, ugh, don’t want to deal with that topic (death/kids). My new job with a commute, well, I listened. And I was absolutely right. Cried. Great listen. But just beware!
December 31, 2022
One of the sweetest, and at the same time most heartbreaking, and most romantic stories I've read in a long time. Damn, those two really love each other, don't they? Great chemistry. Great dialogues. Amazing characters.
A delight to read, really. Couldn't put it down.
**reread this years later and I guess I must have grown a little more demanding - I removed one star because I felt like they got together a little too quickly for my taste and I didn't have much to look forward to.**
A delight to read, really. Couldn't put it down.
**reread this years later and I guess I must have grown a little more demanding - I removed one star because I felt like they got together a little too quickly for my taste and I didn't have much to look forward to.**
November 13, 2017
I didn't like this one *As much* as her most recent one, although I still enjoyed it quite a bit. Is it weird that I thought their relationship was too perfect? They were great together, over-the-top understanding and they never had like any issues whatsoever. I get that the conflict was external with the death of the MC's brother and sister-in-law, forming a new family, stresses with family members, but I don't know I feel like Lane was made in a perfect girlfriend factory, which of course Anna deserved, but it felt a little bit like their perfection extended a bit too long in the middle third making it a bit more drawn out than necessary. Also, the character of the father didn't really make much sense to me. He was like this hidden entity that was only brought out for one purpose really then put away again. Sure he served that purpose well but the reasoning for him never existing wore thin on me and made him too much a of a cardboard cutout I think instead of a three dimensional thing.
By the end all kinds of shit hits the fan and I couldn't stop reading, really. The author is great at dialogue and creating believable relationships across the board. The friendships are adorable, as are the kids (I want to cuddle Toby SO. MUCH.).
So overall very enjoyable and I do think the author is quickly becoming one of my very favorites in lesfic. A lot of raw talent and ability to create interesting enjoyable characters, just could use probably a more extensive substantive editor.
By the end all kinds of shit hits the fan and I couldn't stop reading, really. The author is great at dialogue and creating believable relationships across the board. The friendships are adorable, as are the kids (I want to cuddle Toby SO. MUCH.).
So overall very enjoyable and I do think the author is quickly becoming one of my very favorites in lesfic. A lot of raw talent and ability to create interesting enjoyable characters, just could use probably a more extensive substantive editor.
August 17, 2015
I cried, not once, several times but some of them were happy tears ;) The storyline is awesome, you instantly fall in love with the characters. It's about all those little moments that take your breath away (life, love, death, hurt, loss, fun, ...). It can be simple like someone falling asleep in your arms or saying just the right words, or just the way someone looks at you. it's not much but in those moment it's everything you need. It's all those little moments that make life a big adventure. Go for it, you won't regret ;)
April 25, 2021
What a sweet, entertaining and excellent read. The author knows how to write and communicate feelings. A book to think, feel and enjoy.
October 9, 2023
We start the book with Anna losing pretty much everything : her brother and sister in law that were her best friends, her career driven life and girlfriend. She loves her niece and nephew, and didn't plan to have kids, but how can she refuse to grant her brother's last wish? So she starts over, in a new city with two kids to take care of, while dealing with their grief and her own. This book is not a romance. Of course there is a love interest, but It's so much more than that. Seeing Anna struggling to raise the kids in the first place but eventually starting healing with them was so sweet to read. Her support system is really important in the book, and they bring a lot of sweetness : her mom, her friend Kym who is going through her own grief, and course Lane. Lane is beautiful, patient, nice, understanding, almost too perfect but you can't throw more hardship in Anna than she is going through right? You might think Anna jumps from a relationship to another but Benson made me not even care about it. When everything starts to put into place, a drama you can pretty much anticipate comes, but it didn't make it easier to read. I even found myself slowing down the audiobook because I didn't want the other shoe to drop.
This book is about family and grief, not only from loved ones but from past life and ambitions. Benson didn't rush things, she takes her time to build things and make them right in a realistic way. This book was really emotional and sweet to read and I loved it.
Cat Gould's narration is emotional and delicate. Narrating kids can't be easy and she nailed it; her Lane's voice gave me the heart eyes. It was so good, I even found myself hearing her narration when I read the short sequel 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽
This book is about family and grief, not only from loved ones but from past life and ambitions. Benson didn't rush things, she takes her time to build things and make them right in a realistic way. This book was really emotional and sweet to read and I loved it.
Cat Gould's narration is emotional and delicate. Narrating kids can't be easy and she nailed it; her Lane's voice gave me the heart eyes. It was so good, I even found myself hearing her narration when I read the short sequel 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽
February 12, 2021
So far, every Benson book I've read has been equally wonderful for different reasons. This one is such a touching story of grief, healing, and love. Even though I've never been in a situation remotely resembling Anna's, I found myself relating to her personality and her initial lack of a desire for children. I adored every person in Anna's tight-knit support system: Lane, her sweet and flirty new love interest; Sandra, her mother who'd fight the world for her; Kym, her widowed new best friend with a hilarious streak; Ella, the grieving 6-year-old who comes to love her life with Anna; Toby, the cheeky toddler; Andrew, her father who handles his grief by pulling away; and even Anna's ex, Hayley, who's actually a decent person. Jake and Sally, despite being deceased, were also wonderfully realized characters in their own right. For me, the romance took a backseat to the family aspect (this isn't a traditional romance novel by any means), but I still enjoyed the love story between Anna and Lane and thought it added a spark of light to this book.
September 11, 2015
What an AMAZING debut novel. I LOVED it! The storyline was believable, the characters were delightful (with the exception of one) and the kids adorable. I found myself smiling on more than one occasion with some of the antics. Great book! ☺
March 5, 2025
Has to be one of my Favs - so powerful - reduces me to tears each time - a real humdinger that needs to be on everyone's shopping list. Brilliant!
May 28, 2016
I thought the synopsis sounded familiar and this was confirmed in the first few pages when I realised I had originally read this story online. I did have some quibbles, but overall I found this to be an poignant look at the complexities of life, love and grief.
The original story has been polished and changed (it was originally set in the US and now takes place in Australia). As an Aussie I picked up a few places where the Americanisms hadn't been changed. Also giving the main family a different last name would have been a better choice, for reasons that become obvious later. Even in the original incarnation I found the situation that crops up towards 2/3 mark a bit overwrought (and somewhat unlikely) and the changes made to the situation here actually made that part of the story worse, and more unbelievable in my opinion. There are also a few punctuation and formatting errors.
That aside, the characterisations are fully fleshed, both major and minor. The relationship Anna builds with the children (Toby and Ella, who are absolutely delightful, even given the sad circumstances) is beautiful. Anna's relationships with her mother, Lane and Kym are all also wonderfully nuanced (I loved watching them all become a family). It's not an easy topic, but the balance between the sadness of the grieving process and the joy of creating a new family, relationship and friendship is managed beautifully.
This is a lovely debut story and I look forward to more from this author.
The original story has been polished and changed (it was originally set in the US and now takes place in Australia). As an Aussie I picked up a few places where the Americanisms hadn't been changed. Also giving the main family a different last name would have been a better choice, for reasons that become obvious later. Even in the original incarnation I found the situation that crops up towards 2/3 mark a bit overwrought (and somewhat unlikely) and the changes made to the situation here actually made that part of the story worse, and more unbelievable in my opinion. There are also a few punctuation and formatting errors.
That aside, the characterisations are fully fleshed, both major and minor. The relationship Anna builds with the children (Toby and Ella, who are absolutely delightful, even given the sad circumstances) is beautiful. Anna's relationships with her mother, Lane and Kym are all also wonderfully nuanced (I loved watching them all become a family). It's not an easy topic, but the balance between the sadness of the grieving process and the joy of creating a new family, relationship and friendship is managed beautifully.
This is a lovely debut story and I look forward to more from this author.
August 22, 2015
Contented sigh
Anna's brother and sister in law died leaving her to care for their two children. Anna had never wanted kids and in spite of the life she had in another city she moves back to step up, leaving her shallow girlfriend behind. Soon she will make true friends, a new girlfriend and start a new relationship with her mother, but through it all she makes it clear, the kids come first!
I really loved this book. It was so sweet and romantic and mushy.... it was just sooo good! I admired Anna's strength and courage to give up everything and give her niece and nephew a stable loving life. Her new friends are also just as strong as they make their way past their own pain. Lane and Kym have each others backs and Anna's even when she can not cope with another thing and all are there for each other even when things look the bleakest. I would love to have friends like that! I also liked how Anna was able to forgive her mother and they could move on to have a whole different kind of relationship than they did before Anna moved away. Even when things were bad their love shone through. It was all so gosh darn warm and fuzzy and I can not wait to read it again!
Anna's brother and sister in law died leaving her to care for their two children. Anna had never wanted kids and in spite of the life she had in another city she moves back to step up, leaving her shallow girlfriend behind. Soon she will make true friends, a new girlfriend and start a new relationship with her mother, but through it all she makes it clear, the kids come first!
I really loved this book. It was so sweet and romantic and mushy.... it was just sooo good! I admired Anna's strength and courage to give up everything and give her niece and nephew a stable loving life. Her new friends are also just as strong as they make their way past their own pain. Lane and Kym have each others backs and Anna's even when she can not cope with another thing and all are there for each other even when things look the bleakest. I would love to have friends like that! I also liked how Anna was able to forgive her mother and they could move on to have a whole different kind of relationship than they did before Anna moved away. Even when things were bad their love shone through. It was all so gosh darn warm and fuzzy and I can not wait to read it again!
March 19, 2017
Ok so this book was a big surprise for me. A year or so ago I had picked up a sample of this book and read the first little bit but there was something that stopped me from continuing and thought this book was not for me. Anyways I recently read Benson’s Flinging It and really enjoyed it. When I realised that I had tried another book from this author but stopped I decided to give it a go again. Well I feel kinda silly because I can’t seem to properly remember why I didn’t like it the first time but I absolutely loved it in my second try.
I loved the two characters together they had great chemistry and I loved their banter together. I really loved reading about Anna how she clearly is a marshmallow inside of all her stoic career driven exterior. Lane was such a sweet character and was perfect for Anna. I loved how sweet the romance was and how it was the steady ship of the story so to speak. The week that everything fell apart was well done making me feel suffocated from the grief Anna was going through and how helpless she truly felt, you could really feel the walls crumbling.
Great book, one I am so very, very glad I gave a second chance!
I loved the two characters together they had great chemistry and I loved their banter together. I really loved reading about Anna how she clearly is a marshmallow inside of all her stoic career driven exterior. Lane was such a sweet character and was perfect for Anna. I loved how sweet the romance was and how it was the steady ship of the story so to speak. The week that everything fell apart was well done making me feel suffocated from the grief Anna was going through and how helpless she truly felt, you could really feel the walls crumbling.
Great book, one I am so very, very glad I gave a second chance!
September 23, 2021
Why does this have to be so lovely and heartbreaking at the the same time. Ugh
I can’t say anything that hasn’t been said before by other reviewers. This book is lovely, the characters are great, the story is a little heartbreaking but comforting and uplifting as well. Loved it.
I can’t say anything that hasn’t been said before by other reviewers. This book is lovely, the characters are great, the story is a little heartbreaking but comforting and uplifting as well. Loved it.
August 13, 2024
3.5
We love it when adult women communicate with each other! A wonderful book with a heart-warming story and lovable characters.
I do think it could have done with tightening up! It was a few chapters too long. After chapter 18 it started to drag. But overall it was an enjoyable read.
We love it when adult women communicate with each other! A wonderful book with a heart-warming story and lovable characters.
I do think it could have done with tightening up! It was a few chapters too long. After chapter 18 it started to drag. But overall it was an enjoyable read.
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