Official excert-

Quinn and Graham’s perfect love is threatened by their imperfect marriage. The memories, mistakes, and secrets that they have built up over the years are now tearing them apart. The one thing that could save them might also be the very thing that pushes their marriage beyond the point of repair.

All Your Perfects is a profound novel about a damaged couple whose potential future hinges on promises made in the past. This is a heartbreaking page-turner that asks: Can a resounding love with a perfect beginning survive a lifetime between two imperfect people?

Short summary~5 minutes

Quinn meets Graham meet when their partners are cheating on them with each other. This leads to a relationship between them. The story flips from the past to the present, where the past is how their relationship began and was filled with happy loving times. Including random chance meeting again, and meeting each others’ parents and their eventually wedding with a special wedding present that they will have love letters to each other that they will open on their 25th anniversary. The present timeline is about how their once happy relationship is stuggling due to mainly their struggles with fertility. In a low point, Graham kisses his coworker which leads to a big fight and Quinn has a miscarriage to an unknown pregnancy. She visits her sister and which Graham follows a couple weeks later and after reading his letter to her, Quinn decides that just them is enough.

Long summary~20-25 minutes

The story is told through the main character, Quinn’s point of view in alternating points in time, then and now.  

Then-It starts with Quinn going to visit her fiance’s apartment as a surprise as she returned from her trip early. In the hallway to his apartment, she meets a man pacing outside. He reveals that his girlfriend is inside. Quinn does not believe him but then hears noises and realizes that her fiance is cheating. She stays outside with the man, Graham, and they start to talk about their relationships. Chinese food comes to the apartment and  they take the food. They read their fortunes and hers mentions about flaws and perfects. Her fiance and Graham’s girlfriend open the door and sees them. Quinn and Graham decide to leave together. Graham’s girlfriend tries to follow, but Quinn’s fiance just goes back in.  She gets in her car and he goes to a bar. 

Now- Quinn is married to Graham and their marriage is struggling. They have issues and she is holding a wooden box that holds some significance. She is sad and she reminisces about the past and how their marriage has changed. Graham wants to know about her intentions with the box but she puts it away.

Then- As Quinn sits in her car, it starts to rain and she decides to go to the bar to see Graham. She meets him and they have a drink. They start to play tic-tac-toe using pretzels. Both their former partners call them and they get rid of their phones. Graham asks if she wants to leave and she says yes. 

Now- Quinn takes a long shower and cries because she got her period and therefore is not pregnant. It is revealed that she is struggling to get pregnant. She reveals that she guards herself from Graham because if he thinks she is happy, they will have sex and then she will be sad again when she isn’t pregnant. She talks to her sister, Ava, who knows about her infertility. Ava’s husband has gotten a new job in Europe and will have to leave their area in Connecticut. Quinn talks about her family, her father died when she was a teenager and her mother remarried to keep her lavish lifestyle. Her mother helps her financially sometimes but usually nags about their lives. Her mother judges them and does not like Graham very much since he is not as financially stable as her past fiance was.  At a mother- daughter lunch, their mom is upset that Ava is moving away and judges Quinn for thinking about adoption. An old friend of their family shows up and they catch up. Quinn says she has tried IVF a few times and it was unsuccessful and was expensive. She reveals that Graham is far from sterile and she is the one struggling.  She also reveals that adoption is hard due to Graham’s criminal past. 

Then- Quinn lets Graham into her apartment and Graham looks around at all her wedding stuff including invitations. Graham reveals that he had a ring in his pocket meant for his ex, and he gives it to Quinn since he does not need it. She attempts to trade her own ring but he does not take it and she decides to send it to her ex’s mother. They go to her bedroom and while she is in the bathroom, he makes her bed. They decide not to sleep together and he leaves. She cries in bed after eating ice cream. The next morning, she notices that Graham left a post-it with his phone number asking her to call him after she has her rebound guy. 

Now- Quinn seduces Graham and they start to have sex. He tries to go down on her but she just wants the end result so she tells him to hurry and he gets mad. He just wants to enjoy his wife and she apologizes. He continues but does not finish in her, which makes her super upset. He leaves her alone but punches the door in anger.

Then-Six months later, Quinn goes on her first date which is horrible, and runs into Graham on a date as well. They talk about rebounds and Graham says he was over his ex when he met her.  They go back to their dates and Quinn suggests to her date to leave.

Now- While on the phone with her sister, Ava reveals that she is pregnant but was not sure how to tell Quinn. Quinn gets upset and hangs up on her but then calls right back. She congratulates her and tells her that adoption is not possible with Graham’s past. She tells Graham about the adoption agency as well and he apologizes. She says not to feel guilty, he can’t his past, and she can’t change her body. He suggests they can a divorce so that she has a better chance with an adoption agency. She is sad about it and Graham asks her if she is accepting the fact that they won’t be parents and she gets upset.

Then- Quinn is kissing her date when the doorbell rings. Graham is at the door because he thought she gave him a look, which made him leave his date to go to her place. He is about to leave when she says to come back soon. Her date sees this and leaves, andGraham comes in. She says she needs to brush her teeth since she kissed the guy. They kiss immediately afterwards. They decide to talk and Graham is convinced they are soulmates. He makes a bet that 10 years later on August 8th, that he will say “I told you so” about being soulmates. They just sleep together with a kiss.

Now- Quinn and Graham spend their Sundays at his sister’s house playing with their nieces. Quinn is playing with makeup with one but goes to wash up in the bathroom. She meets Graham there and he fingers her. Since it is not sex and therefore won’t lead to hope and eventually sadness, she is okay with it. They go home and she pretends to have a headache but cries in bed.  

Then- They are in bed together and Graham asks her about her dream, she thinks it’s silly but tells him. He goes to get food while she takes a shower. He doesn’t know what to get, so he gets a lot. They about their jobs and lives. He asks about her old ring and she mailed it back, she also kept his ring. He kept their fortunes from the Chinese food, they both had the same number 8 on them and they reconnected on August 8th. He says he is kidding and kept it by forgetting it was in his pocket and they had random numbers on them. Graham gets a call from his mom and he invites her to a dinner to meet his parents. He lies and says they have dating a while, and she is nervous.

Now- Quinn is visiting Graham’s sister who just had a baby. Graham is already there and she goes in without knocking afraid of waking a sleeping baby. She places their gift and then pauses and sees Graham holding the newborn. His sister says that he is good at it and he would make a great father. He responds and says that he is sad that it hasn’t happened yet. When Quinn hears, she slowly leaves and pretends she was never there. Later at home, she asks about it and if he got to hold him, and he lies. She thinks about what he said and leaves to work in her home office. 

Then- While at dinner with his parents, Graham lies often about their relationship. He then gives her a “tour” of their house but really goes to the basement for his old room. They go and talk about his life as a nerd in highschool. They flirt and eventually have sex. They clean themselves up and go back to his parents for dessert. 

Now- Graham comes home drunk from his usual coworkers dinner. He is drunk and wants to have sex and makes a comment that he feels like she is like a corpse. She gets mad, he apologizes but she leaves to take a shower. When she is done, he is passed out on the couch and she checks on him. They hug for a bit then slowly go back to bed together.

Then-Graham is worried that it is going too fast and she feels the same but she does not want him to leave. They talk about their exes, and Quinn mentions that it would have been a fine marriage but one that could not stand a “category 5 hurricane moment.” They talk about how people have flaws but you can’t pay attention to just the flaws. She says family or her inability to read people is hers. He says how he was drinking with his friends and he decided to drive home which led to a car wreck. It was not their fault as the other car ran a stop sign but since he was drinking he was charged with a DUI. 

Now- Quinn is suspicious that he has cheated on her. She waits for him to come home in the dark, drinking wine and watches him in the driveway. He comes in and she asks about the girl. He does not respond so she yells, throws her glass and he answers with a name. She falls to her knees, cries and he goes to shower. He comes out and tries hugs her, she ignores him and goes to bed after locking the door. 

Then- Two and a half months later, they spend everyday together. They have lots of sex and laughter. He asks to meet her mom and she agrees after he meets her sister at a Halloween party. Her sister dresses up as their mother and is “rude” to everyone. At the end of the party, her sister says that Graham is in love with her.

Now- The next morning, she gathers things while Graham is gone and goes to stay with her mom. She is about to try to open the wooden box when Graham shows up. He pleads or a chance to talk before she opens the box with a key. She gives up, give him the keys and leaves. At her mother’s house, she is hesitating and thinks about her mother was not that great. Her mother sees her and invites her in but she takes a seat on the front steps and her mother asks what is wrong. Ignoring her question, she asks why God gave her mother children but not her. She immediately apologizes and her mom just says its not about God and just doesn’t happen.Her mom then explains that she wanted to travel and her older sister happened by accident. Continuing that she did not want to be a mom but tried her best and was grateful for her and her sister. Quinn says thanks and declines an invitation to go in and goes back home. 

Then- She wakes up and tells him another weird dream and has to introduce him to her mother. She is more nervous than he is. He is cordial and polite and her mother hates him because he is “not good enough” and even calls him a “friend.” Quinn takes him on a tour of the house and they talk about her dad. Her old bedroom has been converted into a closet for shoes. Heis amazed she turned out to be a wonderful woman despite growing up in her lifestyle.

Now-She sits in the car outside the house, Graham notices and heads out. He starts the talk by asking about why they never got a dog and she gets mad and says she hates him. He replies in order to hate him, she has to love him but she is only indifferent. He confesses that he only kissed the girl and gets into the car to tell her everything. She protests but lets him talk. He says the girl was a newbie at work and that sometimes she would catch his attention because she reminded him of Quinn. He had spent the day working with the girl on a project and since she reminded him of his wife, he went home early to be at home. But when he got home, Quinn avoided him and only said one word to him the whole night. He was upset and he was working with the girl again, they talked and he kissed her, pretending it was his wife. Quinn is mad that he is trying to blame it on her and he says he only did it twice. He says it was his fault but they are broken and he does not know how to fix it and he misses her. She says that she is her but she is no longer the woman she used to be. She also questions if he loves her. He replies that he has loved her ever since he met her and gets out the car and yells that he loves her.         

Then- Quinn gets permission to use her step-father’s beach house in Cape Cod and they have a weekend getaway. They talk about kids, and she says she always wanted to be a mom and also a writer. He says he only wants kids, if they are with her. She says that he says the most beautiful things and he replies that she is the writer not him and that she should write him a love letter. She agrees that she will.

Now-Quinn eventually goes back inside the house and reveals that they did try therapy but they were both bored with it. She gets into bed and Graham is reading a book. He reveals that he quit his job because of it.  Suddenly she feels pain and calls out for Graham. He pulls the covers away and notices blood. He carries her and takes her to the hospital. Later he reveals that she had a miscarriage and she just cares that she was finally pregnant. Sadly he reveals there was too much bleeding and they had to do a hysterectomy. 

Then- On their last day at the beach house, they talk about their ideas on politics and religion. They discuss their beliefs and Graham asks if she would marry him. She is surprised but says yes.

Now- At the hospital, they learn it was an ectopic pregnancy, Graham is worried that stress caused the miscarriage and the doctor says it was inevitable.  They stay in the hospital some more and he lays with her on the bed. Her sister wants to fly back to visit her but Quinn refuses and says she will visit her. She says she will go when the doctors release her and she will go alone. She tells Graham she is going and he wonders if she will come back. 

Then- Quinn is stressed from the wedding planning that her mom is doing for her. Quinn reveals she doesn’t want a big thing and Graham says she can tell her mom no and blame it on him. They are getting ready to visit her sisters when Graham says that he replanned the wedding to be a simple thing at the beach house with just the minister and a witness. She agrees and they pack and decide to tell everyone after. 

Now- Quinn has been at her sister’s for three weeks and only talked to Graham once. They are eating dinner when the doorbell rings and Graham is there. They make some small talk about Quinn feeling better. Graham gives her a choice to leave him or to come back with him. Ava and her husband leave so they can talk. They try to talk about what they want and she says she can not go back to the way she was. Graham does not put any blame on her for kissing another girl but that was not the only problem in their marriage and he believes they can get better. Quinn expresses her anger that he does not understand what she has been through and the pain of not being able to become pregnant. Graham understands that he will never be a father and wonders if just him is enough for her. He has the wooden box with him and they decide to open it.   

Then- Right after they are married, Quinn’s mother thinks that Graham was trying to avoid a prenup, since her step-dad might leave her some money. Graham thinks it is a good idea since he is an accountant and agrees to sign a post-nup. Graham reveals that he has a wedding present of a handmade wooden box.  Inside is a love letter that he wrote when he asked her to write one along with her own letter to him. Before she can read it, he says that it is to be saved to be open on their 25th wedding anniversary. Quinn is sad that she has to wait 25 years and he says they can open the box in an emergency. So that they can be reminded of their love. 

Now- Quinn gives her letter to Graham and notices there are extra letters that Graham has written. She goes to her guest room to read. The first letter is right before they got married, he is awkward about writing a love letter but it is how he feels so in love with her. He also mentions that the day in the hallway was not the first time they met, and they met at a Christmas party with their former partners.  Quinn was mistaken for a server and just went behind the bar to start serving and filled his glass. He also talks about if their marriage has issues that he promises to love her always.  His second letter is one year after they have tried to start a family and he uses statistics to say that it was okay. The night he wrote the letter they had come from a charity event and several of her mother’s friends asked about their plans for children which eventually left her drained and sad.  His third letter is five years after they are married and their struggles of having kids. He reveals that he no longer asks about her dreams since he asked but then she started crying assuming her dream is about children or being pregnant. He also says that he is okay with not becoming a father and just wants to see her happy. He ends the letter with all the good things that have happened that year. The last letter was written while he was on the plane to see her. He talks about his actions and how it was not because the girl reminded him of her but can not explain it. He reveals that he knew that Quinn lied about being stuck in traffic and not being able to meet their new nephew. He said that he was sad that it hasn’t happened yet because he realized that it might never happen and he wasn’t sure if just him was enough for her. He lied to her and wanted to react and release her feelings, but he realized that he was nervous about hearing her true feelings because that would lead to conflicts and action(divorce).

He thinks he can no longer make her happy and maybe they could divorce and she could remarry a man with kids and be a stepmother. He feels like he failed her and wants to be with her but if he causes her pain, then they should end. He ends it with promises to love her forever. She cries for a long time and Graham comes in to hold her. They say sorry to each other and she forgives him. 

Then- It is their first wedding anniversary and she gives him a blanket made out of their ripped clothes. They start to have sex but he says he is ready to start a family and does not need protection. She asks what they will be doing in ten years and he replies with an idea of them living their best life with a great house and amazing jobs. She replies that sounds good, to which he replies that maybe it will be the opposite and they will have the same apartment and money problems. She also says that will be perfect too. 

Now- Graham asks Quinn what she dreamt about and she is happy and tells him. They reminisce about their first anniversary and their “perfect” life. They say sorry and eat breakfast. She notices that he saved their fortunes which did have 8 on the back which was when they reconnected. She also notices that he did not read his letter and he will read it on their 25th anniversary.  They ask about their future and they think about moving away. She talked about her goals before their problems and both decided to move to Europe.  She smiles and Graham is happy. 

Epilogue- Two years later, Graham and Quinn are shopping for Ava’s child. The sales clerk asks if they have any children and they make up a silly lie of having six girls, all grown. After they leave, they make up stories for their imaginary children.  Their car has a flat tire, which Quinn changes without help from Graham. Afterwards, she goes into a petshop to wash her hands and sees a dog, which they then adopt. 

My review- 4/5 stars

I personally enjoyed this book mainly due its plausibility. I also have friends going through some infertility issues. The split time period did not really need to happen but I felt was mainly there to build tension and to present the story in a more interesting way. It is not my favorite of hers but not bad.