"Written in a plainspoken, accessible tone, All For One is an easy read. The temporal shifts between the decades are smooth, thanks to a steady voice, providing continuity across the years and serving as a reminder of how a person’s past will bleed into the present. While her writing makes sparse use of metaphor or lyrical imagery, McGuinn’s words carry emotional resonance in the small details that serve to highlight the trauma of war, loss, and love without overstating these feelings. ... Fundamentally, this is a story about how the changes that happen through life affect the bonds of childhood, and how the trauma of war is carried by veterans and their families long after they come home. The romanticized loyalty of their youth plays a sword that cuts both ways, binding the friends together, but also trapping them in cycles of silence, debt, and regret."

What starts off like a gentle little YA read with hometown kids bonding, growing up together, crushes, breakups, the boys going off to service together…much the way anyone growing up in the 50s/60s would relate to, ends with a heart-wrenching experience of the aftermath of war, PTSD, love, death, abandonment, grief, and revenge that take a toll on the returning warriors and all who love them. Masterfully written with suspense at every turn.