Book Review for Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan

 

Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan

Published:   May 26, 2026 by G.P. Putnam's Sons

Genre:  Contemporary Romance

 

Taken from Goodreads:  From The New York Times bestselling author of Nora Goes Off Script , a romance about a single mother who’s offered a Pretty Woman -type deal that’s too good to refuse.

If they begin 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 swinging on the porch, Dolly starts to feel something more than helpful. She’s never relied on anyone besides herself, can she really start now?

 

My Thoughts:  Go get ‘em Dolly.    Dolly is a character that spoke to me from the first page.   She is sassy, hard-working, an amazing mother, and has the best group of friends you can ask for.    Her family is her top priority, and she will do anything for them.  As the story goes on, I see more of her strengths.  She takes on responsibilities that are not hers, she stands up for herself, and she learns to live life for herself, putting herself first at times. 

I am a fan of Annabel Monaghan, the author.   When this book became available, I knew that I had to read it and I am so glad that it was at the top of my TBR.   The story is so well written that it felt like I was one of Dolly’s friends.  I was living life right beside her.  

Thank you G.P. Putnam's Sons for a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.  

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Meet the Author(taken from her website):  Annabel 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, published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons. Her forthcoming novel, Dolly All The Time, will be out May 26, 2026.

She is also the author of two novels for young adults, A Girl Named Digit and Double Digit, as well as Does This Volvo Make My Butt Look Big?, a collection of essays based on her column that appeared on the Huffington Post, The Week and The Rye Record. She has a BA in English from Duke University and an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania. She hosts an author series called Friends with Words and spent several years on the novel writing faculty at The Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College. She lives in Florida and Connecticut with her family. Her novels have been translated into 23 languages.