Dolly All the Time: a review by Kayne
Dolly All the Time is full of humor and heart and takes place in a beautiful coastal beach town. It has fake dating with a Pretty Woman vibe and other than a long, third act break up, I loved it.
Dolly packs up her car and heads to Whitfield, Rhode Island, for the summer with her son, Gus, to help her father with his fish shop and help care for her disabled brother. She teaches kindergarten in Boston and Gus will be going into high school in the fall, but he’s been struggling with friends and she hopes he will make new ones at a Lifeguard Camp in Whitfield.
Dolly is riding her bike to make a shrimp delivery to the Whitfield’s family estate when Stewert Whitfield flags her down for help. His Range Rover has a flat tire and he doesn’t know how to change it. Dolly is changing his tire when a photographer from the paper drives by and takes a photo of them. Stewert’s fiancé has been caught having an affair with a Yankee baseball player and it’s really funny when the paper posts the picture of Stewart and Dolly and says Stewart is showing Dolly how to change the tire!
Stewert is handsome and is considered to be the one most likely to become the next CEO of Whitfield Industries when his father retires. But his cousin also wants to be CEO and Stewert needs a girlfriend to improve his image. He asks Dolly if she would agree to fake date him for a few months until the Starlight Gala. He offers to pay her and she asks for $50,000 she desperately needs to repair her dad’s roof after a small electrical fire. The inspector threatened to condemn their home if they didn’t fix the roof. Stewart is shy and doesn’t have time to find a girlfriend and he thinks Dolly will be perfect to fake date. I loved their banter.
They make plans to meet and my favorite parts of the story are when they’re together. It’s really fun to see them on sunset boat rides, at a charity gala and a baseball game. It gives Pretty Woman vibes when Dolly gets a makeover and new clothes for the events! The story of how Dolly’s brother was injured when he was young is emotional and sad, but it’s delightful to see Gus making new friends at Lifeguard Camp. Dolly has an idyllic porch where she and Stewert listen to frogs sing and smell the flowers. It has a fireplace and day bed that reminded me of the tea cottage in Norah Goes Off Script. I loved watching them all enjoy their summer in the small beach town. There was a sad third-act break up that dragged on a bit too long, but the fabulous ending made up for it.
I always look forward to Annabel Monaghan’s books and this one is sweet, funny and heartwarming. It’s the perfect beach read with the small-town beach setting and endearing characters. It’s a good time!