We All Live Here.

 

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lila Kennedy has a lot on her plate. A broken marriage, two wayward daughters, a house that is falling apart, and an elderly stepfather who seems to have quietly moved in. Her career is in freefall and her love life is . . . complicated. So when her real dad—a man she has barely seen since he ran off to Hollywood thirty-five years ago—suddenly appears on her doorstep, it feels like the final straw. But it turns out even the family you thought you could never forgive might have something to teach about love, and what it actually means to be family. 

 

 🌷

 
I liked how this novel was largely on the relationships between families. I'd always enjoyed reading about family relationships. I was looking forward to this one after reading Me Before You earlier this year. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy the book; I liked most of it, but it wasn't what I expected; to me, the first ten chapters were slow, and I felt as if the plot was dragging on, but it was interesting enough for me to keep reading. It soon picked up, and I was glad I decided to stick with the story. I believe that writing the story with other characters, such as the grandfathers, would make it more intriguing. I enjoyed both Bill and Gene, and while reading the novel, I wondered what the two of them were thinking, especially since they lived in the same house. I was also wondering about Jensen's viewpoints. Gene, Bill, and Jensen were the characters I was most interested in and felt a connection with. 

It wasn't that I disliked Lila; rather, I questioned her decisions on occasion. I didn't have the same connection to the main character as I usually do, which could explain why I thought the story was slow. I adored her bond with her stepfather, Bill. It was obvious how much he loved Lila. I really enjoyed the romantic portions of the stories, particularly those including Jensen. I had an awful feeling about Gabriel from the start, perhaps because of the way he acted, which made me wonder what he was hiding. I loved reading from Celie’s perspective and would love if there was more from her perspective. She was one of the characters that I wondered what happened to her after the book ended. From all the characters in the book, I felt that Celie had the most character development. 

However, I liked reading brief excerpts of the novel Lila was writing. I wish those were mentioned more throughout the book. I loved Gene and Bill; they made me chuckle several times. I did feel that the book was too long, and that the last chapter wasn’t necessary. I thought the book was good overall, and the plot was engaging enough to keep me reading. I would suggest giving it a chance; you could like it more than I did.