All In: Complicated Parts Trilogy, Book Three

Overall Grade: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️++All In, Ashley Jade’s final book of her Complicated Parts trilogy, marks an end: an end to want. Fold, the first book of this series, began my adoration for Ashley Jade. It is the very first book I read from her. I wish I could remember how I came to find that book, but I remember that it ignited my love for her storytelling. Fold and Bluff were my initiation into the world of alpha-hole heroes and upending characterizations of heroines. I remember distinctly thinking about Kit, the heroine of this trilogy, for long periods of time. Ashley Jade was considering $exuality in more fluid terms before societal buzzwords or labels such as pan$exuality or demi$exuality were being bantered around. She was interrogating attraction and love between souls before we were really focusing on it as a larger population, and I was confused and intrigued and thoughtful about it. I’m sure there are LGBTQA scholars who might scream at her for her insistence on Preston and Kit, but I think she has done all of us in romancelandia a favor by playing with this notion in her Complicated Parts trilogy.I have waited longingly for years for All In. When Jade finished Bluff, I was heartbroken. I could feel Kit’s pain, and I wanted to be absolved of it. This is romance after all, so I needed a happy ending for Kit and Preston, but Jade, the masochist, had other stories that needed telling, so I’ve waited, clearly the sadist in this relationship. And Jade, with this story, had work to do. There was much to be done to get Kit and Preston to a happy ending: absolving Kit’s hurt, explaining Preston’s side “business,” rectifying Kit’s grandmother’s agreement, and revealing and ameliorating Preston’s past traumas, all while finding a space for Kit and Preston. Like peeling the layers of an onion, Jade deftly and beautifully juggles all of her storylines. I will say that there is one moment (of which I will not divulge here so as not to spoil anything about this book) that I felt was remedied too quickly and hurried us away from it. To be honest, it isn’t necessary to linger there long for the rest of the story. Considering this book is 497 pages, I shouldn’t be curious, but I guess I wanted to see more of the consequences of it. That being said, this is neither here nor there to the overall story.All In is emotionally painful, yet titillating and expressive in one fell swoop. There were times when I needed a quick TikTok break away from Preston’s outer meanness and Kit’s empathy that gutted her. Yet, as the story goes, as Jade peels those layers of their story away, you fall deeper into them, into their traumas, into their inexplicable attraction, and into their love. Jade forces us to consider that souls, not labels, not expectations, can become fated for each other no matter the outer package. That feels so important in the world of romancelandia, when everywhere we turn, we encounter tropes and genres and tradition. All In feels like a kick to that. There are definitely traditional parts of this story: the happy ending and the $exual connection between Kit and Preston. But Jade is so careful with Kit and her characterization, taking the time to mete out her feelings. She’s so careful in Preston’s evolution and healing. She makes her readers work for all of it, and you find yourself “all in” with their story.Is waiting for All In worth it? Absolutely. Ashley Jade’s insistence on taking her time with this story was responsible, it is timely, and it needed to be told right now. Our society has caught up to the ideas behind her characters, and it’s made for a story that gives Preston and Kit the happy ending they deserve. Every turn of the page of this book was a revelation, and I’m thankful to the universe for drawing me to Ashley Jade. All In reminds me that she’s a very special kind of romance writer because, through the genius of her storytelling, she shows us what an “imperfectly perfect” looks like, and that love is both painful and joyful in equal measure. In a world that is far from perfect, that seems like an important lesson to learn.

Never before has “worth the wait” has such power as All In. Not only have Kit and Preston had a long and complicated journey to this show stopping finale, but author Ashley Jade herself has had quite a journey in writing this trilogy. But every word, every moment, was worth the wait. And, like so many other stories told by this unique and bold story teller, All In was nothing like I expected, yet somehow everything I needed. At long last, Kit and Preston’s journey has come to a close, and I find myself even less ready to say goodbye. With every passing page, Ashley made me fall more in love with this special couple. There is no other story out there like this- Kit and Preston are in a league of their own.This loves story began with the most unlikely beginnings- a lesbian and playboy, brought together by their shared cheating girlfriend, a broken engagement, and an unplanned pregnancy. And thus is the magic of Ashley Jade. A story no one else is telling, a commitment to finding beauty, truth, and love in the most impossible, the most complicated dynamics - and somehow that story becomes her most romantic story she’s told. And boy does this finale deliver on the romance. Oh, we have all that characteristic AJ drama, but we have so many swoons, so much heart, and so much heat. Fans will know Ashley loathes spoilers of all kinds, and I respect her vision, and your reading experience, too much to share too much about this story. What I will say is that Ashley packs a lot into this finale- threads I anticipated, those I did not, yet each moment serves a profound and poignant purpose in each characters’ arc. I flew through this long story in one sitting, mesmerized by every word. It’s unexpected, but just right, messy, but perfect.What makes this series are the characters. Oh these characters. Kit’s is a journey about identity and acceptance- one that flips that experience on its head, but shines the same thematic light. About a broken girl who just wants to be loved, letting herself be loved by someone that challenges her very sense of self. And Preston’s is a story of redemption and forgiveness, about a broken boy figuring out how to face his trauma, how to heal instead of self-destructing because of it.And their love is the catalyst- a love that is an exception. A love that is anomaly. And that’s the brilliance of their chemistry and their connection. How Kit finds her truest self in loving someone that, at first, feels at odds with everything she knows about herself. A love that fractures the identity she fought so hard to claim somehow helps her find her truest identity. And how Preston heals by finding a love that breaks him completely, how he finds safety and redemption in someone who exposes him so completely- to himself. Secrets, past pain, complicated questions, and twists abound- but this story stays true to its core tenet- love. A love unexpected and unbreakable, a love that liberates, a love that redeems, a love that defies trope or explication. And that love is what Ashley is trying to help us see- that love doesn’t have to be understandable or neat or traditional. Love can defy expectation or understanding, love can be chaotic and flawed, but at the end of the day, love is home, safety. Love is where you find yourself- even if you find yourself with someone unexpected. And Kit and Preston prove that better than anyone else- the lesbian, the playboy, that met because of their shared cheating girlfriend. Two people who had seemingly impossible odds, two people whose story is messy and destructive. They have the most beautiful and powerful love of all - a connection so deep that it topples everything they know and has the world rebuilt around it. All those complicated parts somehow fit together- jagged on their own, complete and whole together. Brava, Ashley- this is what makes your writing so special. THIS is how you tell love stories that change us. And Kit and Preston, they’ve changed my heart.

No spoilers go in blind! This was a kick butt unconventional love story where you start out hating both people and by the end you don’t want the story to end! My favorite read this year

Absolutely love this book the story line captured me and I couldn't but It down I highly suggest you pick it up and read it I will be so worth your time ..

I had so many mixed feelings about this series. But i pushed on wanting to see how it ended. I’m glad i did. This was all over the place and kept sucking me in. Absolutely loved it.

I couldn’t wait to get to the next sentence, the next chapter, or the next book!! What a tear jerker one minute & a laugh riot the next! So loved the ending!!!

I’ll preface this by saying to get a full understanding/back story of the complete series you may want to read to complicated hearts. I didn’t because m/f m/m relationships aren’t my jam, so I skipped it. So I was a bit confused on the beginning reading Bluff but was able to piece together what I needed to get the heart of Kit and Preston’s story. And what a great story it is! Full of love, confusion, hurt and betrayal and of course a great hea!Read the complete series! You won’t be disappointed

Loved this series, couldn't stop reading absolutely great read!!! I've read several Ashley jade books and there always absolutely great

I was surprised how much I love this series not that I didn’t think it would be a good book or bad writing I mean how can it be with Ashley jade but I’m not really a delayed gratification kind of girl and if a storyline is on the long side especially if it over several book I often do not finish them or come bk to them at a later date. However that was not an issue with this series as I was hook from the beginning and Finnish all 3 books in 2 days with little to no sleep but I couldn’t stop reading them it was one of those ones when my husband ask for something and I was all “in a minute” or “ let me finish this chapter” which magically never ended lol. Highly recommend if you haven’t already read this

Finally getting to know what happened with Becca& “Preston’s” baby.Ooooft this one was a rollercoaster! I just had to ride it… (Ronan said it not me)Wow did we get a HEA? Yes.Did it come easy? Heck no.Did I enjoy it? Yes, it’s nearly 5am and I haven’t slept yet.Don’t start a new book at bed time kids!Brilliant. Great series!4⭐️

Omg I have never read such a rollercoaster of a series in a while,I couldn't put these books down,Ashley Jade you are a wonderful author iv read a lot of your books and enjoyed everyone, but these especially the last book had me up to the small hours of the morning, laughing crying feeling very frustrated, and delighted buy the endEpic series, must readThank you so much can't wait to start the next series,

Once again Ashley Jade draws you in with her writing.This being the third book in the trilogy all about Kit, Preston, their family and friends.Don't want to spoil the storyline ...Just read the books in order, you won't be disappointed.

Absolutely loved this series. I literally couldn’t put the books down! I am so glad I didn’t read this when it originally came out as it’s been so fun to read it like this and remind me of Asher’s story which I also really enjoyed. Thank you for writing the final book!