Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan
My Review of Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan will discuss the book’s plot, characters, movie influences and spice levels!
Review of Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan
I just love Annabel Monaghan’s books.
They typically feature thirty-something women who have lived a little (and often taken some knocks in life), which makes you root for them ever harder.
Dolly is the glue that holds her family together. After a car accident disabled Dolly’s brother Christopher’s, their mother left the family. Then their younger sister, Patsy, also distanced herself from the chaos.
Now it’s just Dolly, her thirteen year-old son Gus, her dad, and Christopher, who has schizophrenia as a result of his accident. Dolly’s father owns a local fish shop in a charming Rhode Island town where Dolly and Gus also spend the summer, but money is tight and Dolly has to be resourceful.
One day Dolly helps Stewart, the son of the richest family in town, change a flat tire. Charmed by her calm resourcefulness, he offers her the money she needs to fix her roof if she’ll pretend to be his girlfriend.
This set-up sounds rom com wacky, but Monaghan makes it work. Under his rich guy veneer, Stewart is an anxious mess, certain he will be the one who plunges his family into financial ruin. With him, Dolly experiences how money helps smooth the rough edges of life. The book also makes the point that hardship can strike anyone, rich or poor.
What I loved was that the book felt like fake dating with high stakes. As Dolly starts to fall for Stewart, so does her high-profile family. At the same time, his family sees what a grounding influence she has on him.
In the hands of another writer, the fake dating trope would be a lust and spice story, but it’s a testament to Monaghan’s skill as a writer that she 100% convinces us that these two actually need each other. Deeply and completely.
While Dolly All the Time itself references Pretty Woman, the book reminded me even more of Jerry Maguire. Stewart is not slick like Jerry, but Dolly and Gus reminded me of Dorothy and Ray, her adorable son.
This might be her favorite of her books but I’d have to re-read them all to be sure!
Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan had
- A small town Rhode Island summer setting
- A Cinderella/Pretty Woman concept
- Characters with a lot of psychological depth
- An unbelievably sweet romance
- Very low spice but still extremely romantic
- Publication date: May 26 2026 by Putnam Books. Thanks so much to them for the advance review copy.
Dolly All The Time is perfect for:
- Fans of classic romance movies like Pretty Woman and Jerry Maguire
- Readers who love a book filled with complex family dynamics, a beautifully portrayed summer coastal setting, and characters who will put a smile on your face. I think I smiled the entire time I was reading.
My Master Post on New Summer Romance Books for 2026 has all the top summer romance books you need to know about. Be sure to check it out and download my ultimate Summer Romance Reading Guide!
I also have two summer quizzes for you to take, my Find Your Perfect Summer Trope Quiz and my Choose Your Summer Romance Adventure Quiz. Take them both and get book recommendations based on your answers!
- My Master Summer Romance 2026 Post – all the summer books in one place!
- My Find Your Summer Adventure quiz!
- Grab My Summer Romance Reading Guide with a checklist of ALL the summer romances I could find, plus a bingo card, a coloring reading tracker and more!
