Georgie All Along by Kate Clayborn

Georgie Mulcahy's life is filled with taking care of other people's needs. As a personal assistant to a screenwriter, she has very little time that's truly her own. When her boss suddenly decides to retire, Georgie discovers she has no idea what to do with her own future. She travels back to her Virginia hometown to help her pregnant best friend settle into a new home and prepare for the arrival of her baby. While sorting through boxes she discovers an old journal of "friend fic" full of ideas and dares the two of them planned to do before starting high school. Georgie decides that ticking off items on her teenage bucket list will take her back to a time when she was full of plans and ideas, hoping that will spark a sense of direction in her life.

Things immediately go awry when she arrives at her absent parents' house to discover someone is already staying there:  Levi Fanning, town black sheep and older brother of her high school crush. Levi is as closed off and taciturn as Georgie is open and expansive. Their unplanned living arrangement draws them into each other's lives. Levi offers to help Georgie tick off some items from her friend fic, which only fans the undeniable spark between them.

This book is incredibly warm, heartfelt, and filled with romantic tension. Georgie feels she isn't any further along than she was in high school and only sees a blank slate when looking at the future. Levi is filled with regret over his rebellious, troubled teenage years and has closed himself off in an effort to prove to himself that he is a new man. 

Levi's rescue dog Hank is one of the stars of the show here. He is loving, exuberant, and remarkably sensitive. He also brings out a protective side of Levi and it's clear that the two of them are healing each other. The relationship between the two of them speaks more to Levi's character than anything else going on in his life. Hank warms to Georgie immediately and she is uninhibited in her love and care for him.  

Georgie is dismayed that she can't figure out what she wants for her future. Levi has worked hard to rebuild his life but his past remains a raw wound to him. They clearly have feelings for each other, but is there room for each other in two lives that are so unsettled?

Georgie's hippie-dippie parents, her friend Bel, and Levi's estranged brother and sister round out a fun cast of characters. The struggles of Georgie and Levi as they figure out their own lives, and if there is a place for each other in them will pull you along all the way. Plus Hank is so adorable the book is worth a read just to meet him!

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.