If All Is Enough

by Youcouldmakealife

Ulf had never really figured Rousseau for the type who would be anything but serious, and he’s right about that, but to be fair, right now he doesn’t feel like laughing either.

Genres: Hockey, M M Romance, Fiction, Contemporary

109 pages, ebook

First published September 14, 2015

Reviews

[wasteland baby · Rating 4 out of 5]

the ao3 comments on this one are really negative and tbh I will NEVER understand how some people think that's an okay thing to do?? like obvi we all have our own perspectives on internet etiquette but there's a line where con-crit turns into just being plain rude directly @an author and idk, that just always rubs me the wrong way. (I think that it's of course fair to *politely* point out if you think an author is, for example, misrepresenting a real life minority population or sth. but that should imo still be done with an awareness that we are getting these stories as free labours of love, and no one is *making* you read them, for crying out loud.)

people apparently got pissed at Taylor because this story "fizzled out", which like, okay? but on the other hand real life relationships fizzle out, and people do behave in weird or immature ways, and maybe never reach that point of profound growth and transformation that is so often a given in romance. I haven't read YCMAL so I didn't have the context of Ulf's years of friendship (and relationship??) with Marc and Dan, but I thought even as a standalone this story did a really good job of portraying Ulf as someone who has His People, but His People will always have each other first, and that leaves him feeling kind of unmoored and melancholy. "kind of unmoored and melancholy" could be the tagline of this whole thing tbh, and I really like it for it. maybe it's telling that the Taylor story that reads as the most true for me is the one with the emotionally confused/distant protagonist who *doesn't* get a happy ending, instead stumbling his way through what the youths would call a situationship. idk, perhaps the execution wasn't always perfect, but I really appreciated what this story was doing thematically and on a character level.

Edit: I just read Adam's story in YCMAL outtakes and I never knew I needed him to find happiness so badly but apparently I did?? a middle-aged man going back home to Manitoba and finding companionship is something that can actually be so personal.

[annob [on hiatus] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some parts of this story I liked a lot, other parts dragged a bit.

I really liked Rousseau, even though we didn't get much input from him verbally. As a quiet, hold his cards close to his chest type of person, he was skilfully written. My fellow Swedish character, Ulf Larsson, hmm... I'm not sure I liked the guy or even sympathized much with him. I didn't mind his tomcat ways, so that wasn't my issue. But this was the first book where I found the hockey details uninteresting.

As I read along I was rooting for Ulf, the little details like the toothbrush scene was charming and endearing. But boy was I disappointed in the ending.

[Callie Kajj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Early Taylor was evil

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure when I exactly read this the first time but I think this might have been the first Taylor Fitzpatrick series I've read? I've re-read it by now bc I just reeeally love it.

Also rather funny / telling (?) that I later found out there is a reading guide that has it listed under "Yeah, like, don’t start here" and there were warnings that you'd probably dislike Ulf if this was your first introduction to him and... what can I say. It probably was for me. And I loved him. Whatever that says about me 🫣😂

Even though what really drew me the most to this story during my first read was the mystery of Adam Rousseau. I just found him super compelling as a character and wanted to learn more about him. And was very happy to find out that "Vires Acquirit Eundo" exist which basically is an Adam Sequel 😃 Even though I'd loooove to get more from his playing days. Apparently he really was quite a sight on the ice *sighs*

[Giulia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking. Not the book and the story in itself, not at all -but I was so invested in it, was loving the dynamic between the main MCs... and then the story just ended at a random point. I'm sensing there won't be any continuation of this, since it's been published in 2015...but why put in the world an unfinished book and make us suffer so??! I guess I'll just have to go drown my sorrows in every other MM hockey book that's ever been written...

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a tough one to rate. I always like Taylor Fitzpatrick's writing style and I was happy to catch up with where Riley and Lapointe are now.
I also found it interesting to read from the POV of a character who isn't that likeable. However, usually unlikeable character gets a redemption arc, like David Chapman in the Between the Teeth books. Here, Ulf doesn't redeem himself, even though the reader understands why he acts the way he does.

[LA Johnson]

Not sure why I keep doing this to myself, except that they’re written so brilliantly and I can’t stay away.