All My Life by Prescott Lane [arc review]

I am speechless!

Everything about this book was pure perfection.

It was sweet, charming, had just enough angst, it was touching... There is not one single thing about it that I did not love. Not one.

This was my first book by Prescott Lane, and needless to say, it will not be the last!

The Blurb:

All my life, Prescott Lane

The beginning of any love story starts with the meet.

I’ve known Garrett Hollis since before I can remember, and I’ve loved him just as long. I loved him while he loved someone else. I loved him when he had a baby with her. I loved him when she left him.

The greatest of love stories is that between a dad and his daughter. I should know. I’ve had a front row seat. First steps, first words, all the big moments.

Garrett was just a teenager when Mia was born. I’ve watched him braid his daughter’s hair, hold her hand crossing the street, seen her asleep on his chest. I’m the best friend, the one they can count on for everything from dance lessons to motherly advice, anything they need. I’m their go-to girl.

The best part of any love story is the happily ever after.

But what if the happily ever after doesn’t include you?

All my life, that’s how long I’ve loved him.

Of course, he’s clueless.

5+ Stars

Sometimes what makes a book special is the flawed characters, in my opinion this is what made All My Life so precious. Garret, Devlyn, and Mia are all imperfect characters. Garret has made a mistake and has through the years became oblivious to anything and anyone that is not Mia; Mia is daddy's little girl and like any girl whose mother has left wants and desires to know her mum someday, even if that hurts those around her; and Devlyn bottles up all her feelings and never deals with her reality. All those and other imperfections made those characters real and easy to relate to. Made their story a whole lot more touching and emotional.

Devlyn has been Garret's best friend all her life. That is all she is and that is all she believes she will ever be, and with reason. The guy never looked or thought of her differently. She helped him and was there for him when no one else would. I admire her bravery but I also hurt for her the whole way. Unrequited love like that can destroy a person.

Garrets world is his daughter, she is all he sees and all he cares about. That being said, life would not be the same without Devlyn and he knows it. She is the friend that was there for him when the whole town turned their back on him, she is the friend that thought him how to braid his little girl's hair and helped him when his baby was ill. She is that friend we all have in real life that is always there for us.

And Mia is a beautiful young lady who wants more than anything to meet her real mum, to know why she left her when she was a baby... Mia adores her dad, he is her world, but there is this little bit missing. I guess most of us would call it closure.

Their story is one of love and friendship. There is so much beauty in it.

And from a personal level it is also so real.

Although my life story is very different, if Mia were real, those feelings about her mum would be too. You don't know what that beautiful word 'mother' truly means when you think you never had one. Often it takes something big for it to sink in. I ADORED how Mia's characters and feelings were written.

But, this is a romance book, it is about Garret and Devlyn. Their romance was slow burn and they had to get over years of unrequited love and doubts for their relationship to work. Mia's mum showing up didn't help. But in the end, love like theirs could not be tamed.

I cannot recommend this enough, it is going on my list of favorite books for 2018!