All in the Family [Kindle Edition]

Q. Kelly (Author)

Book Description

Allison Albrecht and Samantha Cannizarro are thrown together when their parents become engaged. Sam is deaf, so Allison begins to learn sign language. Allison is eager to please Sam and to make a good impression on her. Sam does not care about good impressions. She is a loner, always has been. She resents her new instant family, especially her stepmother-to-be. Sam is also reluctant to bond with three-year-old Allen. However, Allison and Allen gradually crack Sam's facade, and the two girls fall in love.

But life in a stepfamily is rarely easy. Throw in romance between two stepsiblings, and the ride is going to be bumpy.

Product Details

• File Size: 591 KB
• Print Length: 198 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Ride the Rainbow Books (January 1, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B006S5PWQS
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #54,469 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 28 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars DNF January 29, 2012

By lenkalotte

Format:Kindle Edition

Ho boy. There's no way I'll finish this. I quit half way through. The reasons are manifold.

On a simple level: the romance. I'm not feeling it. The characters fall in love practically overnight while not really interacting that much. I have no clue where that is coming from.

The characters. Not well-developed, some are more caricatures than fully-realized characters (the parents). The mother especially. For the main characters I sometimes had to remember their age. They were not acting 17. The language especially was not age-appropriate.

At the same time the book is filled with different topics. The romance between two teenage stepsisters, one of them is deaf and the deafness is an issue in the family (I enjoyed that part), the sexual abuse of one of them and the resulting problems with her mother, not to mention that she has a son from that abuse. Too much to handle at once apparently.

And lastly, and that was a real disappointment, the writing is kind of a mess. Very stilted all the way through, at times sounding like bad fanfiction. Way too descriptive, way too many points of view. Every character has a say, mostly presented in the way of inner monologue. Ugh.

I had similar issues with the re-issue of this author's The Odd Couple, a book I loved when it was first published (by a publisher). The re-write it was given didn't work for me, and here, too, it reads like the book wasn't edited.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read February 5, 2012

By TerryB

Format:Paperback

Allison knew from an early age she was a lesbian. She had been raped by her step father when she was only twelve years old. She gave birth to her son Allen when she was thirteen, now at sixteen she is working in The Addict coffee place to help her mother make ends meet. Susan, Allison's mother, has claimed Allen for her own son. Allison is not happy about this, but doesn't have any choice.

Susan has a new man in her life, lawyer Barry Cannizarro. Barry has a seventeen year old daughter Sam. Sam is deaf and she attends military school away from home. Allison has seen photo's of Sam and likes what she has seen, more than likes in fact. Allison is set on her and Sam becoming friends and may be more in time and begins to learn sign language in preparation for Sam's return home. She teaches Allen as well.

Will Allison and Sam get on as well together as Allison hopes?

When Sam arrives home from school, she finds that she has a ready made family waiting for her. A family that Sam doesn't feel a part of. She likes Allison well enough though and gradually comes around to liking Allen as well. Who wouldn't like the little bundle of mischief?

Sam finds herself more than liking Allison. But Allison has been pushed by her mother into dating boys, so Sam thinks she doesn't have a chance. Will both Allison and Sam confide their feelings for one another? Or will each girl go on thinking the other is straight?

As always with Q Kelly's books, she covers topics that most authors would avoid. I have to give Q Kelly credit for being fearless in her writing. This book is no exception with the varied topics she covers.

This book centers around Sam a young deaf lesbian. It tells of her life within a family where she feels unwanted. Sam's father re-marries and Sam doesn't get along with her manipulative step mother. When Sam and Allison get to know each other well, Sam finds it hard to stand back and watch Susan push Allison around.

The story covers over five years of Sam and Allison's lives. It tells of the emotional turmoil suffered by both Allison and Sam due to interference in their lives and how life almost spirals out of control for both of them.
The story is well written and I loved the characters.

It would have been nice to have had at least a glimpse into Sam's life at military school. She spent a lot of time there in between her home visits.

I also would have liked to see a little more on how Allison coped with her drinking problem.

All in all though, this was a good read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Not run-of-the-mill love story June 15, 2012

By Lynda E Hardman

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Books by Q. Kelly are always controversial and new. There is never anything that you have read before. She is a very unique individual and I can never wait to see what she will come up with next. I have all her books and can recommend them to every lesbian or anyone who enjoys good lezfic. She is a master of uniqueness and I have never been disappointed. She will challenge your ideas of love.

More About the Author

Fact One: I like corny jokes. If you have any good ones, send them my way!

Fact Two: My favorite color is purple, but my writing is gray. Life is not black and white. I often write about issues and characters where there is no "right" answer.

Fact Three: I'm weird. I like being weird.

Email me at [e-mail]. I'd love to hear from you.

Check out my blogs at qkelly.wordpress.com and qkelly.blogspot.com.