Dolly All the Time: A GMA Book Club Pick by Annabel Monaghan #Review @annabelmonaghan @penguinusa
As soon as I saw the title of this book, I had to read it! Dolly All the Time: A GMA Book Club Pick Contemporary Women's Fiction/Romance/Comedy Setting - Rhode Island Publisher : G.P. Putnam's Sons Publication date : May 26, 2026 Print length : 400 pages Hardcover ISBN-13 : 979-8217185054 ASIN : B0FQH54TN1 Paperback ISBN-10 : 0593853970 ISBN-13 : 978-0593853979 Kindle ISBN-13 : 978-0593853986 ASIN : B0FNVHX96C Audiobook : ASIN B0FPGMSSQK If they start by pretending, can they end with something real? Dolly Brick has never met a problem she couldn’t solve. Not when her mom left when she was twelve, and not at thirty-nine when she moves with her son back to Whitfield, Rhode Island, for the summer to keep her dad and brother from losing the family home. So when she comes across Stewart Whitfield—annoyingly handsome scion of the Whitfield family—with a flat tire and at the wrong end of a very public, very humiliating breakup, it’s in her nature to help. But Stewart’s proposed arrangement ends up being more than either of them bargained for, because as public dinners and high-society benefits turn into sunset boat rides and kisses that hit her bloodstream like a ghost pepper, Dolly starts to feel something more than helpful. She’s never relied on anyone besides herself—can she really start now? Dollycas's Thoughts Dolly Brick is a problem solver. She has been handling a lot since mom left their family behind when she was 12-years-old. Now she is thirty-nine, and she needs to return home, Whitfield, Rhode Island, with her thirteen-year-old son, Gus, to help her dad and brother following a house fire. They usually make monthly trips, but this is going to take time to handle. Stewart Whitfield is the powerful heir apparent to the CEO role at Whitfield Industries. He rarely spends time in Whitfield, but when Dolly sees him on the side of the road with a flat tire, she is surprised, and she offers to help. She deals with a classroom of kindergartners; surely, she can handle Stewart Whitfield and his ignorance in changing a tire. He soon tells her about his headline-making breakup with his fiancée. When Stewart and Dolly meet again, he makes a very interesting proposal. It could help her do a lot for her family. It's a complicated arrangement that takes a fun twist. It starts out with Dolly accompanying him to high-society events and public business dinners, but the romantic tension is thick. Soon, it's sunset boat rides and some ultra-hot kissing sessions. Can this be progressing into a true relationship? Or will it crash and burn like all her romantic relationships? _____ I usually read mysteries, but this book was the change of pace I needed last week. Dolly is a strong, down-to-earth, working three jobs. She is a kindergarten teacher in Boston, the call center operator for a small sporting goods company, and when she is home, she steps in where needed in the family business, Brick Fish House. She is a mom to Gus, a sister to Patsy and Christopher. Patsy is busy with her own family and rarely visits. Christopher suffered a head injury when he and our mom were in a car accident when he was eight. He needs many medications to "even out his disposition. " Dolly feels responsible to fix and take care of everything and everyone. Money is always tight, so she needs to be extra resourceful. I enjoyed that she kept her head and stayed true to herself from beginning to end. Gus is a terrific young man. He grew throughout the story. The family dynamic, sans Patsy, is heartwarming and relatable. Stewart Whitfield's life appears to be publicly imploding. He thinks the idea he presents to Dolly will right the ship to help him secure the coveted CEO position he has been working tirelessly toward for a long time. I loved his sister, Busy. His mother had some genuine caring moments, too. Busy is the only member of his family who knows his arrangement with Dolly. I don't want to give too much away. Ms. Monaghan has created characters with depth and put them in believable situations. This story could have come off as cheesy or campy, but the author's treatment of the plot and theme made it so much more than a typical romcom. This Dolly found Dolly All the Time to be fabulous! A Perfect Escape! It would be an outstanding beach read or a smashing rainy weekend read. This is the first book I have read by Annabel Monaghan, but it won't be the last. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent About the Author Annabel Monaghan is the New York Times bestselling and Library Reads Hall of Fame author of It’s a Love Story, Summer Romance, Same Time Next Summer, and Nora Goes Off Script, as well as two young adult novels and Does This Volvo Make My Butt Look Big?, a selection of laugh-out-loud columns that appeared in The Huffington Post, The Week, and The Rye Record. After twenty-five years in the suburbs of New York City, she now splits her time between Connecticut and Florida. Her novels have been translated into twenty-three languages. Find out more on her Website. Also Written by Annabel Monaghan Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. 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