I had to physically stop myself from skipping to the end All the Right Reasons. I just had to find out what happened because the emotional drama had my stomach knots. It’s been a while since I’ve been so immersed in a book! Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.
Summary
Cara Hawn’s life fell apart after her father cheated on her mother and got remarried to a woman Cara can’t stand. When Cara accidentally posts a rant about her father online, it goes viral—and catches the attention of the TV producers behind a new reality dating show for single parent families.
The next thing Cara and her mother know, they’ve been cast as leads on the show and are whisked away to sunny Key West where they’re asked to narrow a field of suitors and their kids down to one winning pair. All of this is outside of Cara’s comfort zone, from the meddling producers to the camera-hungry contestants, especially as Cara and her mother begin to clash on which suitors are worth keeping around. And then comes Connor.
As the son of a contestant, Connor is decidedly off-limits. Except that he doesn’t fit in with the cutthroat atmosphere in all the same ways as Cara, and she can’t get him out of her head. Now Cara must juggle her growing feelings while dodging the cameras and helping her mom pick a bachelor they both love, or else risk fracturing their family even more for the sake of ratings. Maybe there’s a reason most people don’t date on TV.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
All the Right Reasons is an entertaining read that I could not put down. I actually finished it a few days in advance from when I planned because I needed to know the ending! Immediately I loved the mother and daughter relationship between Cara and her mom. If you love a parent who snorts at their child’s jokes, has their back all the time, and feels like they can be vulnerable? Then this book is for you! While this relationship also gave me tons of angsty feelings, I still love them!
And Mangle delivers a book that is full of swooning romance as well as a dating show! Mangle is able to describe how constricting it feels for Cara to have her life packed in a box. She has to figure out how she can escape the mess her father left behind. And Cara is one of my favorite characters. She has a wry sense of humor and sarcasm. At the same time, she was so relatable to me in her tendency to blurt out things that are just not the right time.
All the Right Reasons is mainly focused on the relationship between Cara and her mom. How we are pressed into choices when we feel we have none. The times it’s hard to see or believe what is real. Or how hurtful it is when it feels like someone you love isn’t listening to you. When we are biased and want so desperately to see what we want to. Additionally, the love interest in the book also has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and her mother is adopted – so my heart did many jumps of joy!
Overall,
All the Right Reasons is an utter win. The characters of Cara and her mom were detailed and empathetic. Watching their relationship unfold brought tears to my eyes! Mangle delivers action with the dating show plot line as well as opens up conversations about acting and what is real. At its core, this book celebrates how we have to fight for love. It’s not easy to find love. But when we have a chance, we can’t just let it pass.
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