Yet another book review and are we even surprised that it’s another young adult romance novel by New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover? All Your Perfects, released in the summer of 2018, explores the relationship of a married couple in their late twenties and the hardships they face together. 

To be completely honest, this book first caught my attention because of the cover’s pretty shade of violet with a little daisy in the middle. With zero idea of the plot that laid inside each page, I put it in my “to read” list. So yes, it is safe to say that I judged the book by its cover. However, the plot was very intriguing as it held the elements of a contemporary novel but went into depth about a relationship that seemed so scarred, hopeless, and impossible to mend.

We are introduced to Quinn Whitley on the night when she discovers that not all in her relationship was as it seemed. She is happily engaged to her fiancé Ethan Van Kemp and is in the process of planning her wedding up until the moment the unknown man angrily waiting outside Ethan’s apartment gives her a reality check. The harsh and blunt truth that her fiancé had been partaking in an affair hits her like a bullet train, and she discovers company with the one person that understands her situation all too well and whom she is able to almost immediately connect with. Fast forward seven years, and Quinn finds herself married to Graham, aka the man from that upsetting night. But as happy as they were during the beginning of their relationship, that joy begins to simmer away and instead of dealing with their blatantly discontent marriage, they get stuck in the same push-and-pull routine. Will they be stuck in this continuous, dull pattern or can they dig deep into the eye of the storm and work to save their relationship?

What I enjoyed about the book was the way the storyline was formatted. Every chapter was contrasted by its following chapter, as it alternated between “then” and “now.” “Then” paints a picture of their first meeting and the following chemistry that bloomed between them. It contains more happy themes of young and new love, which gives the readers a reason to appreciate the two characters as a couple. “Now” dives deep onto the rocky road their marriage travels on, as they struggle to move forward in their relationship- becoming parents. It is revealed that the two struggled to conceive and adopt a child, despite their immensely strong wishes to pursue parenthood. This puts a damper on their relationship and proves to be the main conflict throughout the book, with the addition of their lack of communication. The two parts of the book help to create one chaotic storyline and display the imperfections of a seemingly perfect relationship. 

All Your Perfects is another one of Hoover’s books that is well reviewed. Alex on Goodreads shared, “This book was a raw and emotional reminder of why I read romance. It reminded me of the small magic within the big hardships we conquer for love. This speed-train of a novel hit me hard enough for it to become one if not the best of my reads this year. All Your Perfects acted very slowly like a vice on my heart and before I knew it – it had taken it and shattered it.” 

It’s safe to say that All Your Perfects is another great addition to the list of CoHo book recommendations, especially if you’re looking for a heavy taste of raw emotions.