Reviews

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

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altbauleserinberlin's review against another edition

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3.0

-historical accuracy
-being different/discrimination
-narrative technique

knit4ever's review against another edition

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4.0

Good book. Very sad but beautifully written.

anna72123's review against another edition

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emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

tyreadsbooks_'s review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

⟡Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng⟡

★★★★ 4/5 stars

(Thanks to @prhaudio for the free audiobook!)

⟡ Read if you like :

•Contemporary fiction

•very character driven stories

•Asian American representation

•sibling relationships

•family dramas

•thought provoking reads

⟡ My Thoughts

This book has been on my TBR shelf forever. I have loved her other books Little Fires Everywhere & Our Missing Hearts, so I was excited to complete Ng’s backlist.

We see a father who’s spent his life desperately trying to fit in, a mother whose only wish was to break from the mold. Both holding their middle daughter to the highest standards. James wishes for his daughter is to be popular & accepted, meanwhile Marilyn wants Lydia to fulfil her own lost dream of becoming a doctor. Her 2 other siblings feel lost inside their family & in their sister’s shadow. Unbeknownst to them all, Lydia feels crushed under the weight of all these expectations. Unfulfilled ambitions, alienation, & seeming small disappointments.

Ultimately, Everything I Never Told You is an empathetically-told story of a struggling family trying to make sense of a tragedy. I'm not even sure how to describe how this book made me feel. It’s a quiet story, soft but powerful. It's real & raw & emotional. It’s a reminder of just how important it is to feel like you belong somewhere & that someone out there hears you. I know from personal experience that losing someone suddenly comes with so many complicated feelings.

This is a short but heavy read, a story that I know will stay with me. I hesitate to say I recommend it, but I definitely appreciated its message.

Content Warnings