This is a beautiful book about motherhood. Wonderful characters on a difficult, soul-challenging journey. I felt as though I was living inside the book and wanted so much more of the world. The writing is clean, flows well, and is full of so many beautiful descriptions. Truly enjoyed this one!

I loved this book so much! All of the characters were extremely relatable, despite their flaws and complications. As a mother myself, I found so much in this story to discuss. It's a perfect novel for book clubs, parents, anyone dealing with the foster system, and readers interested in complex characters and relationships. I couldn't put it down!

Excellent story. The writing sucked me in. The topic is something I’m familiar with as a former foster mom with hopes of adopting. The author described the situations spot on. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for the ebok in exchange for an honest review.

I think it took me a couple of chapters to properly get into this, but I really liked it. Heartbreaking book of a fictional story that shows many facets of life. Parenthood, mental health, grief, and relationships, along with how the involvement of social services can affect all of these facets.

Wren and Ivy were adorable characters and you feel for them both throughout the whole book. I also really enjoyed Anitha, she was a very good supporting character. All in all, really good for a debut!

Hadley Leggett's debut turns an honest, poignant, and tender lens on parenthood in its various forms. When overwhelmed Hannah leaves her young daughters unattended in a car while she pops into the supermarket, she and her kids are thrust into the world of DHS and foster care. And when foster parent Julie takes the girls in, Hannah and her estranged mother Elaine both want them back. But no one is a villain here, but rather three very different women struggling to do what's right.

At the root of Hannah's struggle is grief and pride, which is actually similar to her mother's journey and even Julie's. This book really rang true for me as a parent, and I recommend All They Ask Is Everything wholeheartedly.

A compelling read that depicts multiple perspectives on motherhood with honesty and emotional intimacy, All They Ask is a smartly written, relatable, and unexpectedly touching debut.

The kind of story that draws you in right away and stays interesting all along through deft use of multiple POVs that kept this reader wanting to know more. Enjoyable, heartwarming, and surprising. Brava on a terrific debut! If you enjoy a good complex mother/daughter story—complete with a bonus mom of a sort, no spoilers—I highly recommend this read.

A realistic look at motherhood and our limits as women as we balance societal expectations and our wants and needs versus those of our children. This story took unexpected twists and turns, keeping me glued to the page.

All They Ask is Everything by Hadley Leggett is an entertaining read for everyone. As a childless-by-choice mother of three fur babies, I wasn’t sure if I could relate to a novel about motherhood. But I was hooked from sentence one as Hannah navigates perilous debt while her sleeping little girl curls like a glowworm against her big sister’s chest. This is a novel with a tender heart and Hannah is a mom I can root for, even as I worry for her children’s welfare. My heart prepares for a major ache in Chapter 1, while Mommy, who’s “all better,” prepares breakfast for her two sweet girls. As the chapters alternate between three points of view, the tension builds until I’m turning pages faster than eating chips. This is a compelling, wise, and empathetic look at not just being a mom, but a woman. If you like tender stories about complicated characters in complicated situations, read this novel!

I knew from the description of this book that I would be drawn in, but I did not expect to find so much empathy for all three of the main characters. In All They Ask Is Everything, Hannah, Elaine, and Julie are all striving to show they are the best person to care for two little girls. The idea of these sweet children enduring so much upheaval as they navigate their grief and their mother's grief is absolutely heartbreaking.

It may be easy for many readers to judge Hannah, the mother who finds herself fighting to regain custody of her children, as she certainly makes big mistakes. But as the story unfolds, you may find that you can understand some of her struggles.

The author does an amazing job of showing the reader some of the impossibilities of the foster care system and that there is not always a simple answer for what's best for a child. If you love intricate stories that illustrate the difficulties of mothering, mental illness, and grief, get ready to enjoy this beautifully-written novel.

All They Ask Is Everything is a novel about parenting, love, and difficult relationships. I would give it a solid 3.5 stars. The author’s writing and character building is excellent. She conveys the intricacies of complicated personalities and relationships well in her writing. I enjoyed reading this book but the end was a bit too “fairy tale” for the complicated storyline. Based on how the characters were portrayed in the book, the ending was highly unlikely and, in all honesty, very unlikely if this case had actually gone to court. I do love a happy ending and if you are looking for a heartwarming story, this is a good one. If you prefer stories more true to life, I’d steer away from this one.

“So many times she’d begged the girls to quit bickering, quit singing, quit jabbering nonstop—to give her just one moment of peace so she could focus. Now the silence throbbed like a headache.”

Hadley writes with the effortless skill of a seasoned author. I was sucked into the story of Hannah, Julie, and Elaine—three women who couldn’t be more different other than one important commonality, their love for the two little girls caught in the middle of the fallout from their mother’s trauma-based depression. The struggles are relatable, the characters are layered and interesting, and the story itself was well-paced. Highly recommend!

I absolutely loved this book! The writing from various perspectives held my interest. As a mother of 2, I can somewhat relate to Hannah. A must read!

I loved this book for many reasons. First, the characters - each of the three main “voices” had faults and virtues in abundance, which was what made the plot so gripping. Three women want custody of two little girls, and I found my allegiances switching back and forth as I began to realize that none of them would be a perfect mother. The descriptions of the pluses and minuses of the foster care system, the sympathy for those working there who are trying to do their best with their excessive workload, brought another element of ambiguity to the story. Who is in the right here? Is anyone in the right here? I found the unspooling of the story compelling and couldn’t put it down until I reached the last page.

WOW! Did not expect to feel this many emotions reading this book you guys. I enjoyed this in ways I didn’t think I would and I didn’t expect to relate to all three of the mains in the ways that I did. I cannot recommend this book more.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest and fair review!!
4.5 stars :)

For a debut book, this is fabulous. I found myself really drawn to all the characters who were well developed. At times I wasn't sure if I was on the side of Hannah or not, sometimes I was and then I felt frustrated by her actions... and this is exactly what the other characters in the story felt so it was very powerful - that tug-of-war between really wanting to support someone but also be constantly frustrated when they then mess up... it does make you think about what you would do and feel.

The story tells of Hannah who leaves her children in the car and then it leads to them being taken off her. We get to see foster mum Julie and her yearning for children but also the tug-of-war between devoting her life to children and balancing a relationship too. Then there's Elaine, the grandmother, who wants to try to do the best for her grandchildren and daughter but doesn't always say or do the right thing. It shows us how challenging parenting is, how no human is perfect, and that is cleverly done.

I didn't know how it would end and I really liked that about the book.

There were some instances that didn't feel very believable and I'd have liked the scenes to have been a bit longer, more detail, more depth so that it would feel more believable. I feel as though for a debut, this is fantastic though, so it gets five stars from me and I'm looking forward to seeing what else Hannah Leggett has up her sleeve.

I'm drawn to books that explore characters and situations that are morally grey. I love where the lines between right and wrong are not clear cut and the reader can understand the ethical dilemmas. ALL THEY ASK IS EVERYTHING is a perfect example of a novel where good people make terrible, split-second decisions that have a long reaching ripple effect. All three main characters, Hannah, Julie, and Elaine have secrets or have made errors in judgment, and yet each one is so incredibly human, you can forgive and empathize with each.

Not only does the story delve into the deep issue of motherhood and all its demands, but there was also a very honest look at our country's foster care system and the challenges of being both a foster parent. While dealing with some heavier topics, ultimately, the story ended with notes of optimism and forgiveness.

I thoroughly enjoyed this incredible debut and look forward to future work by this author.

All They Ask Is Everything
A Novel
by Hadley Leggett
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC copy of All They Ask is Everything.I thought the book was pretty good. It seemed everyone wanted children as the mother left them in a car to shop. Some of the incidents were very off. CS does not put children in hotels. A 3-year-old was doing things far beyond her years, who would taught this if not her mom? I am just not a huge fan of it, but I finished it.I was quite sad.

god, how i love womanhood. being a woman is so often written so terribly in media- all they ask is everything, however, is here to serve us a beautiful, stubborn, sometimes frustrating, but stunningly authentic portrayal of women and parenthood. being a woman is linked intrinsically, most of the time (for those who choose to) to mother/parenthood. all they ask is everything explores things from foster care to depression to parenting- all rendered with a tender touch.

now, i will admit that i do not have much experience with motherhood myself. i am a daughter. i am not a mother, and the closest thing i have experienced to parenting was babysitting my toddler cousin and nearly having a heart attack over five times whenever he accidentally dropped his ipad. but this book made me think, and it connected with me on an emotional level despite me not personally have gone through these experiences- which is exactly what a book should do. the hardships of parenting, connecting with your children and other things are realistic and nuanced. it's fiction, but it could very well be the story of any mother, anywhere in the world.

in a lot of movies centering around children & parents, a lot of the children are very often underdeveloped. flat and emotionless; a poor facsimile to entice the audience's pity. they exist for no other reason than to bolster the plot. i was pleasantly surprised to say that this did not apply to all they ask is everything at all. the children felt real, they felt actually authentic, and it was a delight to read.

overall, i liked this a lot. i'm usually not one for genfic with family drama, but i do like to pick things up if it interests me, and this delivered. thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Beautifully written and ultimately uplifting, All They Ask is Everything is a tender and gripping story of three women who truly want the best for two little girls. Leggett’s compassionate storytelling leaves you bereft one moment and hopeful the next—much like the journey of motherhood itself.