Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan: My Book Review
Check out my book review of Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan to see what I think of her latest release, one of my most anticipated new romance books of 2026.
*Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Dolly All the Time
by Annabel Monaghan
Category: Contemporary Romance
Tags: Fake Dating, Fake Relationship, Single Parent, Opposites Attract, Summer, Strong Heroine
Published May 2026
Amazon | Goodreads
Rating: ★★★★★
Book Boyfriend: ★★★★★
Dolly All the Time Summary:
Dolly Brick has never met a problem she couldn’t solve. Not when her mom left when she was twelve, and not at thirty-nine when she moves with her son back to Whitfield, Rhode Island for the summer to keep her dad and brother from losing the family home.
So when she comes across Stewart Whitfield—annoyingly handsome scion of the Whitfield family—with a flat tire and at the wrong end of a very public, very humiliating breakup, it’s in her nature to help. But Stewart’s proposed arrangement ends up being more than either of them bargained for, because as public dinners and high society benefits turn into sunset boat rides and swinging on the porch, Dolly starts to feel something more than helpful. She’s never relied on anyone besides herself, can she really start now?
Dolly All the Time: My Review
Annabel Monaghan is a MASTER at slow burn romance!
It’s so exciting to anticipate one particular author’s new romance release every year and that’s Annabel for me. Annabel Monaghan writes the most amazing love stories and so I know that whenever I sit down to read her latest, I am going to savor those moments when I get to meet her characters for the first time, watch them fall in love on the page for the first time and have my heart get so full for the first time before I want to immediately reread the book and experience those first feelings all over again. It’s such a high that I cherish every year and don’t take for granted.
Of course, she does it again with Dolly All the Time. Creating a strong heroine that I want to emulate, a dashing, quiet hero who surprises me in the best of ways, a best friend who I think everyone deserves in real life, and a slow burn love story that tugged on all my heartstrings.
There is so much to love about her new book, including:
Dolly. I guess I should start with the star of the show. Dolly is a thirty-nine-year-old single mother who has been picking up the pieces of her life since she was twelve. She’s a woman who “takes care of things” because that’s what she’s always done. But when she’s presented with an opportunity to “fake date” the town scion, it’s only then that she starts to live for herself just a bit.
While we are nothing alike, I felt seen in Dolly’s character in many ways. She is such a wonderful mother (does worrying about your children every go away, no!), daughter, sister and friend. She is so creative, daring and strong but most of all brave. Brave to take on caretaking for her family as a young child, brave to raise her child as a single parent, brave to give into her feelings for Stewart despite her fear of abandonment. And her side hustles…hilarious. I too would want to tell everyone I know about the parking space scheme. I just love her.
Stewart. I love Ethan. I love Dan. And now I love Stewart. Stewart could have been your stereotypical, rich businessman trying to save face with a fake dating scheme but of course that’s not who he is if Annable is writing him. She has this amazing talent of creating such caring men who steal your heart completely because of their soft vulnerability and their quiet love.
Stewart is absolutely a smart business man who even in his work – wanting to preserve history rather than build another strip mall – shows such depth and caring. I ADORED his friendship with Gus, Dolly’s teenage son. I LOVED his honesty with Dolly and how he was so vulnerable in the things he shared with her.
Even in his moment of imperfection, I could see the man he was, how his fears were valid and how human he was in trying to tackle them. If I was giving him a Yelp review, it would be 5 stars.
Naomi. I’m a sucker for books that make me fall in love with their secondary characters and I just LOVE Naomi, Dolly’s best friend. She provided the best comedic relief when it was needed. She’s the ride or die friend you’ve always wanted. I loved their text messaging back and forth and the way she was there for Dolly at the end was both endearing and so sweet. Everyone should have a Naomi in their life! Plus, I too love exclamation points so we are obviously besties too.
Slow Burn. I believe only the truly talented authors can write an amazing slow burn romance and let me tell you, Annabel wrote the study guide on slow burn with Dolly All the Time.
The banter between Stewart and Dolly at their first meet-cute was adorable but it’s the many simple moments that follow that stoked their chemistry and had me anxiously turning the pages because I couldn’t get enough of their slow building love story.
I’ve said it in past reviews, that Annabel has this gift of using such small moments to really pack a punch and have you wishing you are a fly on the wall in a ballroom or on the passenger seat of the town car just to witness the moment Stewart fumbles a compliment or reaches for Dolly’s hand and laces their fingers together. OMG their hand-holding was SO HOT! And I don’t think I’ve ever written that before! It’s just touching for life-saving purposes until it’s not – swoon!
If you love the fake dating trope then this one surely deserves a spot on your TBR list. But you’ll honestly love it for its entire package – the fake dating, the slow burn, the character growth, the family healing, and of course the beautiful love story.
I honestly hope Annabel never stops writing.
*I received an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
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