Review of ALL BOOKED UP by Melody Carlson

About the Book

ISBN-13:9780800747251

Publication date:03/17/2026

Pages:272

Widowed empty nester Riva Owen lives in the Victorian house that’s been in her family for three generations, but finances have become a challenge she can no longer ignore. Her daughter is pushing her to move, and after considering all her options, Riva knows selling would be the smartest course. But she just can’t bring herself to leave decades of memories—and her cherished library filled with hundreds of books.

When she pursues an alternative—opening her home to women like her who need a room to rent—Riva is unprepared for the mix of personalities and peculiarities of her new housemates. She is even more unprepared for Marcus, the handsome and handy older brother of one of her new tenants. The possibility of finding love again feels overwhelming, even as her tenants seem to have romantic schemes of their own.

My Thoughts

The story of four women who join together to live in widow Riva’s house is one that kept me engaged. I laughed as they partied together, teared up when they talked together about their past losses and in general, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Riva doesn’t have the money to keep her house now that she is a widow, so she follows the advice of a new woman she meets and decides to rent out rooms. She doesn’t want to sell her home because of the library that has a collection of all of her books and well as her husband’s books. Riva chooses, interviews and accepts four women to come and live in her home. The story unfolds as conflicts erupt between some of the women and Riva, as the homeowner, has to act as a mediator as well as the one who reminds each of the women of the rules. I loved Riva’s plan to have each woman read a book and then discuss it. Her choices of books for each tenant is nothing short of brilliant, showing her ability to understand what made each woman tick. I also enjoyed the character Marcus, a brother of one of the tenants named Windy, and a widower who must be very handsome since more than one of the women in the house is attracted to him. That sub-plot is a central part of a lot of the story. The real center of the story is forming friendships, being vulnerable and honest with friends, and learning to move into an uncertain future while leaving the past behind. This is a faith-centered book with lots of heart and truth in it. It captivated my attention right away since all of the main characters are older and entering the part of life where there is a lot of unexpected and sometimes scary change. That made the book so realistic and helped me to identify with the flaws of the characters. This is a quick and engaging read, with lots to love and book discussions that added to my interest in continuing to read. This book deserves more than five stars for being so relatable and such a heart-felt story of women who find strength that they didn’t know they had.
I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

About the Author

Melody Carlson has written more than 200 books (with sales around 6.5 million) for teens, women and children. That’s a lot of books, but mostly she considers herself a “storyteller.” Her novels range from serious issues like schizophrenia (Finding Alice) to lighter topics like house-flipping (A Mile in My Flip-Flops) but most of the inspiration behind her fiction comes right out of real life. Her young adult novels (Diary of a Teenage Girl, TrueColors etc.) appeal to teenage girls around the world. Her annual Christmas novellas become more popular each year. She’s won a number of awards (including Romantic Time’s Career Achievement Award, the Rita and the Gold Medallion) and some of her books have been optioned for film/TV. Carlson has two grown sons and makes her home in the Pacific Northwest. To find out more about Melody Carlson, visit her website at http://www.melodycarlson.com/