A sweet and romantic read, well plotted and Great characters full of love and romance

Thank you Netgalley for a copy for an honest review

A wonderful and compelling read that had me glued to my kindle from the very first page. A book that I really recommend.

An interesting and original book, which I enjoyed reading. I particularly liked the character of Eva, and the speech of her pugs (plus accents) was delightful. Four and a half stars, really.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

A good enjoyable read. Quite touching and made me feel quite warm hearted

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

As usual, Dillon's novels are a cut above a lot of the other lighter fiction out there. Her characterisation is achieved so easily and neatly. A really lovely look at how marriages can be a lot more than what they seem, and how children can be so easily affected by trauma in their lives. Shed a few tears, smiled at the happy ending - what more can you ask for?

All I Ever Wanted by Lucy Dillion is a pleasant story with likeable characters and focuses on family issues and relationships.

Not my favourite Lucy Dillon book but still a compelling, heart wrenching story about a broken family. Perfect summer read.

This book was beautifully written and gives an insight into the struggles of children when a family is torn apart. It's a sad story but one that is all too familiar these days. I loved the book. It was easy to read and devoured it in two sittings. A great story, well told :)

Its all about family and relationships. It was my first book of Lucy Dillon and i certainly enjoyed it and will be reading more of her books. The children how they cope it today's world as relationships break and change and different relationships they are expected to make and adapt. The author sketches the real life situations perfectly.
Good book i would recommend. Thank you Net Galley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I have so many books to read and unfortunately this one slipped down the TBR pile. I really wish it hadn't because I have really loved reading this book, which was my first from Lucy Dillon but it won't be the last.

There are two threads to the story. One with Eva a widow with no children and the decision she faces whether or not to publish her late husbands diaries. The other Eva's brother and his wife decide to separate and the consequences for the children and the effects on them. Together with one of the parents trying to move on.

The star of the story is Nancy who her Mum calls fancy Nancy - something happens to her that is heartbreaking - I was rooting for Nancy throughout the book and could picture her clearly from the way she was described.

I don't do spoilers, but there is a day when a calamity arises at Eva's house and the way it was written was just as good as any thriller - I was spellbound.

Although this is a chick lit type book there are such a range of subjects covered. The book does flip between Eva and Caitlin, this is done in a measured way though and I felt I knew exactly where I was in each of their stories. Not too many characters and I got to know all of them so well, I really didn't want it to end.

I did shed a few tears near the end of the book - it was just so moving and emotional, but not in a soppy way. So many different levels to the book, but I think if you really connected with the characters you would be hard pressed not to shed a tear.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Netgalley for a copy of the book for review.

On this occasion no review as it unfortunately didn't work for me.

I Quite liked this one although I must admit I didn't like this one quite as much as the others. it was still pretty good though. 8/10

Lovely leisure reading! A great book for relaxing with in the summer holidays.

Beautiful touching story.
I loved reading this book and really felt for the characters.

All I Ever Wanted was my first book by Lucy Dillon but certainly will not be my last. I loved it and could not put it down.

Nancy is four, nearly five. She talks all the time: in the car, on the way to nursery, to her extrovert older brother, to her collection of bears. But then, one February morning, everything changes. Nancy's mum and dad split up. Her father Patrick moves away from their Bristol home to Newcastle. And Nancy stops talking.
Eva is forty-four, nearly forty-five. She didn't expect to be the third wife of a much-loved household name, but eight years ago, she and semi-retired bad boy Michael Quinn fell in love. Eva knew marrying a much older man meant compromises, but it was the love of a lifetime for them both - until Mickey dies suddenly, leaving Eva alone with his gossipy diaries, their two pugs, and a distressing voice in the back of her mind, wondering if perhaps she's sacrificed more than she meant to.
While Nancy's parents negotiate their separation, the question of weekend contact is solved when Patrick volunteers his sister Eva's house. It's in Longhampton, an hour out of Bristol, with plenty of room for her to get to know a niece and nephew she's barely met - even if Nancy continues to refuse to speak. Patrick is sure it's just a phase but his soon-to-be-ex-wife is worried that something more traumatic lies at the heart of their daughter's selective mutism.
Meanwhile, Eva begins to read through Mickey's diaries, and with every page she's forced to confront a view of her marriage that turns everything she believed about her late husband, her self - and her own heart - on its head. The fortnightly presence of two children in her peaceful, grown-up home - one constantly singing and performing, the other wordless and sad - initially drives Eva and the two pugs, Bumble and Bee, to exhaustion, but as spring turns into summer, a trust slowly begins to form between an anxious little girl with a heartbreaking secret, and a woman who has realised too late that what her soul yearns for is the love of a child.

I've read a few of Lucy Dillon's books and enjoyed them but I didn't so much with this one. I don't know what it was but it didn't grip me and I felt myself skim reading a lot of the book. The story was ok but didn't seem to go anywhere. I don't really know what to say about it to be honest! I'll keep an eye out for Lucy's next book, maybe this was a blip in her writing but it isn't one of her best. Thank you for letting me read and review it, I will look out for her next one.

I have always loved Lucy Dillon as an author and her latest edition did not disappoint. I think what is likeable about her writing is that she deals with traumas and events that could happen to any of us. For a book that is not incredibly long, the author fits a lot in. However, at no point does it feel too rushed or hectic. The tale is somewhat emotional and thought provoking, yet it still manages to provide something humour. I think what is most likeable and refreshing is that the story is believable. Despite having written several books, Dillon is showing no sign of flagging.

All I Ever Wanted by Lucy Dillon is a contemporary novel about families and love and loss. It was a study into a family that was falling apart and a study of grief. It was poignantly written and I got totally caught up in the lives of the characters.
Lucy Dillon has created a wonderful set of characters. All unique and with both good points and character flaws, making them easy to empathise with and realistic. The two children were delightful, with their mannerisms that shot straight to my heart. I wanted to mother them both. With their parents marriage falling apart, Lucy Dillon perfectly captured the emotions of the children both through what they did and didn't do. The emotional trauma tugged at this reader's heartstrings.
Included in the story were two lovable pugs - Bumble and Bee. They had their own character traits which I found enchanting. The ability of dogs to bond and heal emotional trauma was a beautiful thing to see.
The interactions between characters were realistic and believable and easy to empathise with. As new bonds were formed, it was wonderful to observe them unfold. The mindset of the children and the bonds they formed were beautiful. Lucy Dillon perfectly captured both a four and ten year old.
There was the theme of nature versus nurture. Children can pick up character traits from those closest to them. They are also born repeating some of the family traits at times.
The novel dealt with memories. "It's hard knowing that you are competing with the past and losing." Memories are found in people, places and objects. Memories should warm us but not return us to a past that is just that, past.
The study of grief was raw at times. "It was their future that she grieved for." Our futures take a diversion when someone close dies. Our hopes and dreams may die too, as we need to find new hopes and dreams.
Identity was a theme within the book. "She wasn't sure who she was now." If our identity is tied to our role - wife, daughter, mother - we may need to discover who we really are.
Parents are important. Our style of parenting may be based on our childhood experiences for both good and bad. Our experiences may be seen through rose tinted spectacles or we may have been protected in bad times. No matter how old our children are, we never stop trying to protect them. "It doesn't matter how old you get... I'm never going to stop wanting to make the bad things go away." Likewise we are never so old that we don't want our Mum to make things better.
All I Ever Wanted was an epic relational read producing a roller coaster of emotions. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to more by Lucy Dillon.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.