Industry Reviews
Elegant, sensitive and sympathetic
JESSICA STANLEY, author of Consider Yourself Kissed
A painfully funny, honest and compassionate novel written with superb precision and psychological acuity
CHETNA MAROO, author of Western Lane
Irresistible, wry and absorbing, All In is both deeply fun and wildly compelling... A heartstopper of a novel
FLYNN BERRY, author of Northern Spy
Brilliantly observed and beautifully written. It takes real genius to turn a believably awful family holiday into a painful, funny and touching examination of a marriage… I loved it
LISSA EVANS, author of Old Baggage
Brilliant… expertly drawn family drama, loveable flawed characters and a very sweet dog… a perfect holiday read
CLAIRE LYNCH, author of A Family Matter
Quietly devastating. Not a word out of place
SARAH VAUGHAN, author of Anatomy of a Scandal
A beautifully nuanced and completely gripping exploration of love, family and marriage by an exceptionally gifted writer
LISA OWENS, author of Not Working
A highly amusing, meticulously written comedy about a marriage in crisis and a hideous family holiday abroad
AMANDA CRAIG, author of The Three Graces
The setting is so vivid, the dialogue so zingy and these deliciously flawed, but totally believable, characters are so plausible, I absolutely devoured it
JOSIE LLOYD, author of You & Me & You & Me & You & Me
I was having such fun reading that its emotional undertow caught me off guard. I had tears in my eyes at the end
REBECCA WAIT, author of I'm Sorry You Feel That Way
A big-hearted and hilarious novel about people doing their best, badly. There’s no-one better than Claire Powell at finding the true love stories in our daily lives
ANNA METCALFE, author of Chrysalis
Partners, parents, siblings, in-laws… Claire writes about family dynamics so believably. I looked forward to going to bed every night so I could read it and felt genuinely disappointed to get to the end
ROXY DUNN, author of As Young As This
Powell offers another expertly wry examination of the intricate bonds that hold families together, and the painful efforts to create new ones
JULIA BUENO
A poignant exploration of a marriage on the edge, All In made me laugh and brought me to tears in equal measure. Powell's ever-perceptive eye on relationships, family, and love makes this a summer read with heart. I couldn't stop reading
KATIE BISHOP, author of High Season
No one writes relationships and British families quite like Claire Powell does. All In is a heartwarming, funny and beautifully observed novel that astutely captures the peculiarities of the British summer holiday, and of Brits abroad. It's the must-have book for summer 2026! I loved it
LAURA PRICE, author of Single Bald Female
A deliciously messy tale of marriage, money, and miscommunication
CHLOË ASHBY, author of Wet Paint
An exquisitely observed, propulsively plotted story of a family in free fall
JOE DUNTHORNE, author of Submarine
I couldn’t stop reading... Claire Powell is a real talent
JENNIE GODFREY, author of The List of Suspicious Things
As funny and sad as a dropped ice cream
ANDREW HUNTER MURRAY, author of A Beginner's Guide to Breaking and Entering
Hugely enjoyable... had me snorting with laughter on almost every page. Claire writes with such deft humour and insight into marriage and family
HANNAH BECKERMAN, author of The Forgetting
Captures the reality of various relationships on the rocks with startling accuracy and emotional intimacy. I laughed, I cried, I couldn’t pull my eyes away
Daisy Jones, Vogue Best Beach Reads 2026
Perfectly observed characters in the pressure cooker of an all-inclusive holiday... I loved it
Luke Kennard, Guardian
Powell excels at writing about the thousands of paper cuts that kill a relationship and does it with humour and honesty
Good Housekeeping
A brilliantly relatable novel... superb
Zoe West, Woman & Home
Intensely funny… profoundly touching… a very superior literary beach read, the sort of book that you need to finish urgently but that lives on in your head for years
India Knight, Sunday Times
Beneath the sunshine and glamour old resentments and family tensions simmer... A perfect poolside read
Closer
What Claire Powell does so beautifully is to write about the messy humanity of being a person just trying to exist in the world
Sara Manning, Substack
A different take on a familiar theme and Powell delivers it all with a humour and wit that makes it a thoroughly enjoyable read… [and] enough drama to keep you hooked
UK Press Syndication
A brilliantly relatable novel, capturing a marriage in crisis with incredible insight
Woman's Own
Chaotic and compelling
Bella
It's giving big White Lotus vibes and we can't wait to read while at an all-inclusive...
Cosmopolitan, *Summer Reads of 2026*
I loved Claire Powell's poignant and funny novel about a luxury family holiday that is far from idyllic
Kate Wills, Sun
A wish-you-weren't here postcard... messy drama ensues, but All In's strength lies in its quieter, touching truths about siblings and spouses
Hepzibah Anderson, Mail on Sunday
A brilliant summer read... funny and moving, with characters you feel you really know
The Times *BEST BOOKS TO READ THIS SUMMER*
A great sunbed read
Best magazine
A blisteringly astute, endlessly entertaining account of marriage and family
Sainsbury's Magazine
All In is a compulsively entertaining and bittersweet novel
Best
A really great book... the perfect holiday read
Off Air with Fi and Jane, Times Radio
Wry, emotionally astute and packed with brilliantly observed characters... balances laugh-out-loud moments with genuine poignancy. Fans of The White Lotus will race through it
Sheerluxe
A superior beach read with a propulsive plot; but Powell is also doing something quietly political by placing Jo and Dave centre stage and showing us the complexity and richness of these so-called ordinary lives
Alex Peake-Tomkinson, Spectator
Poignant and extremely funny, the frictions that ensue are all too believable
Leon Craig, Guardian
