Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan — A Paid Summer Romance That Stops Being Pretend

Dolly Brick is 39, a single mother and a kindergarten teacher, and she has been looking after other people for as long as she can remember. When she goes back to Whitfield, the small seaside town in Rhode Island where she grew up, she has one practical goal for the summer: find the money to fix the roof on her family's house. Then she changes a flat tyre for Stewart Whitfield, the eldest son of the wealthy family the town is named after, and he makes her an offer. He has just been through a very public breakup, his family's board is watching him, and he needs a girlfriend for the summer. He will pay her $60,000 to play the part. Dolly All the Time was published on 26 May 2026 by G.P. Putnam's Sons in the US and Aria in the UK. It is Annabel Monaghan's latest summer romance, following Nora Goes Off Script and Same Time Next Summer. A fake relationship with real stakes The fake-dating setup is familiar, but Monaghan uses it to look at two people who have never had much room to be themselves. Dolly is the reliable eldest daughter who holds her family together, including her brother Christopher, who has a disability, and her sister Patsy. Stewart has money and a famous name, but he also carries old family worries and is far less sure of himself than he looks. As they spend more time together, the pretending becomes harder to separate from what they actually feel. The story is told by Dolly, and her voice is a big part of the appeal. She is tired, funny and honest about the life she has built. Her 13-year-old son, Gus, and her loyal best friend, Naomi, are both drawn with real affection, and Gus's growing friendship with Stewart is one of the book's warmest threads. A slow burn This is a slow-burn romance. The first real kiss comes well into the book, and the tension builds through small moments, such as conversations on the porch, hands held at the right time and the gradual sense that Stewart is learning to be close to someone. Lara at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books gave it an A- and wrote, "I was so happily swept away by the romance of this book." Leslie Murphy at She Reads Romance Books gave it five stars and singled out the pacing and the supporting cast. What to be ready for The low point of the story is painful, and some readers will need time to forgive the characters before they accept the happy ending. The Smart Bitches review noted that the growth both characters need takes months of emotional work rather than one moment of clarity, which gives the book a slightly women's-fiction feel. Other reviewers felt the contract premise has some practical gaps, that Stewart starts out close to a caricature of a helpless rich man, and that the third-act conflict is resolved quickly. Who will enjoy it If you like summer romances with a beach-town setting, a grown-up heroine and a strong family story alongside the love story, this is an easy pick. Readers who enjoyed Monaghan's earlier books, or Emily Henry's slower romances, should feel at home here. Our verdict Dolly All the Time is a warm, funny and emotionally honest romance about a woman who has spent her whole life looking after everyone else, finally letting someone look after her. The fake-dating plot follows familiar lines, but Dolly's voice, her family and her son make it feel lived-in. Save it for a summer weekend, or for any time you want a love story with heart.