Dolly All the Time

by Annabel Monaghan ★★★★★

Dolly Brick is a single mother, a kindergarten teacher, and someone who has taken on an inordinate amount of responsibility ever since her mother left when she was just a girl. It's in her nature to fix things and protect her family, and one of the things that means is that once a month she motors up to Whitfield, Rhode Island from her home in Boston to help out her dad and her developmentally-delayed brother Christopher with whatever they need. Things change when there's a fire at the house in Rhode Island—nothing too major, isolated to the porch, and everyone is fine—but Dolly realizes that her family is going to need more than a weekend's worth of help, and she reorganizes her schedule to allow her and her son Gus to spend the summer in Rhode Island.

The Bricks live simply. They are the leading local fishmongers, and they peddle their wares at Brick Fish House. It's been a satisfying existence, but after decades of living paycheck-to-paycheck, it has taken a toll. The unexpected expense of a roof replacement—something that was mandated by the local fire chief following the porch fire—means the Bricks now have to figure out how to come up with $50,000.

While riding her bike to deliver fish to the Whitfield residence—not only the wealthiest family in town, but also the town's namesake—Dolly encounters Stewart Whitfield, stuck a mile from his home with a flat tire on his Range Rover. "Stewart is generally considered the handsomest of the Whitfields, and is certainly the most powerful as the heir apparent to the role of CEO of Whitfield Industries." He flags Dolly down, and she swiftly realizes that he has no idea what to do. "This absurdly attractive man is a Whitfield. He knows all the rules for a polo match and probably has annoying things to say about wine, but he doesn't know how to change a tire." Dolly assists, and in the process someone driving by from the press snaps a photo of the two of them together.

That photo lands in the paper the next day, suggesting the two are together, and it leads Stewart Whitfield to come by the fish house with a proposal: would Dolly be willing to play along with that idea, just through the end of the summer? The reasons behind why are a little shaky—I'll leave it to readers to discover why and pass your own judgement—but suffice it to say it's important to Stewart and his work. After Dolly initially rejects the idea, Stewart persists and offers to pay her for her time. Dolly needed a $50,000 Roof Angel, and it seems like it has just appeared in the form of Stewart Whitfield. Dolly agrees to the deal, and they begin the charade.

What could possibly happen? Well, we know what's going to happen, but the path author Annabel Monaghan takes us on as the two grow closer is really well executed. It's just the right amount of awkward and sweet and genuine that it had me hooked early. Dolly is insecure, and has never asked for anything in her life. Stewart feels the weight of the world on his shoulders with work, and he has his own insecurities about his ability to lead the family business. They're both oldest children, and they both have an innate sense of responsibility they carry in all they do. They're also both selfless to a fault and just the right amount of awkwardly funny to create plenty of chuckle moments.

Fans of the movie Pretty Woman will certainly draw some connections, and Monaghan has admitted that Dolly All the Time derives some inspiration from that classic. Like Richard Gere's Edward and his inability to drive stick shift, Stewart is left helpless with a car situation he should know his way around, only to be saved by a savvy woman. Just like Julia Roberts' Vivian, Dolly needs a hair and wardrobe makeover to be able to slide into Stewart's socialite circles. And just like in the movie, the professional boundaries of the paid agreement start to blur and the couple realizes they have more in common than they think.

My only previous experience reading Monaghan was 2024's Summer Romance, which was cute and grew on me over time. But Dolly All the Time is significantly better in my opinion. The love match feels more natural (I still struggle to believe that a 39-year-old mother of three would find skateboarding sexy in Summer Romance), and while Stewart is more than a little too good to be true (gorgeous, filthy rich, great with kids, earnest and selfless and thoughtful and honest...), it all comes together naturally. Like any good romance, there of course will be a moment where poor decisions or poor communication threaten the relationship, but the inevitable conflict is believable enough to not feel overly manufactured. The result is a sweet, touching love story that will plaster a smile on your face.

Overall, this was just the light-hearted palate cleanser I needed after the grisly and heavy A Violent Masterpiece, and I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in Dolly's and Stewart's love story. Fully recommended for a feel-good romantic summer read.

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Quick Facts

• Title: Dolly All the Time

• Author: Annabel Monaghan

• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons

• Release Date: May 26, 2026

• Format: Ebook

• ISBN-13: 978-0593853986

• Pages: 368