AlI I Want: A Book Review of Renna Peak’s Novel

All I Want caught my attention the moment I read the description. I don’t know why I’ve been drawn to books that stir up all kinds of emotions lately, but that seems to be the season I’m in. And honestly, each one has given me a new bit of insight or reflection I didn’t expect. It’s been worth wandering down these little reading rabbit holes. Reading my full review below for All I Want will provide you with some of these insights.

About All I Want by Renna Peak

📖 Book Description

She built walls. He lived by rules. Sharing a hallway made it impossible to keep either.

Sidney Miller has one rule: don’t want what you can lose. Grief taught her that.
Gavin Rogers lives by rules too—three dates, no exceptions—until the woman in 17A keeps ruining his plans.

By day, they’re just neighbors in a San Francisco high-rise—Santaland shifts, misdelivered mail, quiet hallway conversations that feel too much like hope. By night, the walls between their apartments (and their hearts) get thinner… until the one thing Sidney swore she wouldn’t do—attach—collides with the one thing Gavin swore he couldn’t—stay.

When December ends, Sidney chooses what might save her: a job in Holiday, Oregon, a cedar-and-cinnamon small town where porch lights burn late, the vet knows everyone’s pets by name, and winter gives people permission to begin again. In Holiday, she learns how to live without the armor. Back in San Francisco, Gavin has to decide whether his rules protect him—or keep him lonely.

They found each other as neighbors. To earn a future, they’ll have to find themselves first.

Trope check: neighbors-to-lovers • forced proximity • big feelings • grief-to-healing • small-town holiday vibes • open door • HEA

For returning readers: This Definitive Edition (2025) is rewritten and expanded with new and re-sequenced chapters, an updated holiday timeline, a brand-new finale, and two all-new epilogues—now presented as one seamless novel. Two bonus epilogues are also available by email.[Paste the official blurb or your spoiler-free summary here.]

Disclosure: I did get an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

📝 My Review

The book All I Want is a sweet romance about new love and second chances, wrapped in the kind of hope that feels honest and earned. It’s a story about renewal, quiet joy, and the power of forgiveness, both giving it and receiving it. The characters show that true love doesn’t always rush in; sometimes it moves slowly and steadily, finding its way back to you when the timing is finally right. It’s a gentle reminder that love can heal, soften, and open the door to a future you didn’t see coming.

Sometimes the best relationships include learning together as a couple. If you’re willing to work with each other, you’d be amazed at how much love truly does conquer in a lifetime. It’s not always an easy road, and there are times when it feels like it’s impossible to make things work out.

Overall Thoughts:

This is a sweet romance about new love and second chances, full of renewal, hope, and quiet joy. It beautifully highlights the power of love to heal, transform, and open the door to something better.