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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
THIS BOOK IS A STORY! Sooo real!!! I hate it and love it
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book’s for the girls whose best friend left them for popularity but then came running back after they realised how fake popular girls are (I may be speaking from experience, who knows).
This book hit a little bit too close to home ICL. Everything that Cleo went through with Layla, I also went through with my old best friend. Woodfolk put words to so many thoughts and feelings I’ve had over the past few years. E.g. “You’ve been leaving me bit by bit for months. So don't pretend this is all my fault. It isn’t, Layla. And you fucking know it.” LIKE DAMN 🤣.
Anyway, the more I talk about this book the more I’m gna talk about past friends so I have to stop 😭.
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IF YOU’VE EVER BEEN THROUGH A FRIENDSHIP BREAKUP!!!
This book hit a little bit too close to home ICL. Everything that Cleo went through with Layla, I also went through with my old best friend. Woodfolk put words to so many thoughts and feelings I’ve had over the past few years. E.g. “You’ve been leaving me bit by bit for months. So don't pretend this is all my fault. It isn’t, Layla. And you fucking know it.” LIKE DAMN 🤣.
Anyway, the more I talk about this book the more I’m gna talk about past friends so I have to stop 😭.
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IF YOU’VE EVER BEEN THROUGH A FRIENDSHIP BREAKUP!!!
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
The "you" in When You Were Everything is a best friend, which is a trope I'm glad to see central in a novel. Normally I don't get a lot from epigraphs, but Shakespeare-loving Cleo's story is well-launched by the Antony and Cleopatra and MacBeth quotes about friendship and endings.
The story is told in a before and after that was confusing to me because Cleo's love interest is similarly present in both, even though Dom's not a boyfriend in one timeline. Still, the two narratives help the reader understand how close Cleo's friendship with Layla was and how it broke. Layla is a singer, and once she gets accepted in the high school chorus, she begins hanging out with her fellow chorus girls more than with Cleo. The beginning of the dissolution is realistic and feels inevitable. Mistakes--cruel ones--are made by both girls. I appreciate that neither of them is clearly in the right.
The secondary characters are believable--except maybe head bitch chorus girl Sloane, and the cast includes Black, Desi, and queer characters, and Layla is a stutterer. The friend groups are inclusive in a way that doesn't feel forced.
The story is told in a before and after that was confusing to me because Cleo's love interest is similarly present in both, even though Dom's not a boyfriend in one timeline. Still, the two narratives help the reader understand how close Cleo's friendship with Layla was and how it broke. Layla is a singer, and once she gets accepted in the high school chorus, she begins hanging out with her fellow chorus girls more than with Cleo. The beginning of the dissolution is realistic and feels inevitable. Mistakes--cruel ones--are made by both girls. I appreciate that neither of them is clearly in the right.
The secondary characters are believable--except maybe head bitch chorus girl Sloane, and the cast includes Black, Desi, and queer characters, and Layla is a stutterer. The friend groups are inclusive in a way that doesn't feel forced.
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was a really beautiful story of the loss of friendship and the difficulties of our teenage years. Having lost many friendships over the years this was heart wrenching. The writing was well developed. I will read anything else this author puts out!
this broke my heart in a beautiful way. i love when people acknowledge that friendships are made out of love, too.
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2023 reads: 267/350
2023 tbr: 59/100
this follows the aftermath of a friendship breakup between cleo and layla. cleo is determined to replace memories with layla, but it’s not as easy as she thought.
as someone who has been through so many friendship breakups (though not as drastic as cleo and layla’s, luckily), this was just the book i needed. i liked how we got to see alternating timelines from “then” and “now.” this helped show how they fell out in a more engaging manner than if it had been strictly told through the present timeline. i also appreciated the stuttering rep with layla. it felt very realistic and the author seemed to do research as smooth speech, not stuttering while singing or using an accent, etc. were mentioned.
i highly recommend this book and i can’t wait to read more from this author.
2023 tbr: 59/100
this follows the aftermath of a friendship breakup between cleo and layla. cleo is determined to replace memories with layla, but it’s not as easy as she thought.
as someone who has been through so many friendship breakups (though not as drastic as cleo and layla’s, luckily), this was just the book i needed. i liked how we got to see alternating timelines from “then” and “now.” this helped show how they fell out in a more engaging manner than if it had been strictly told through the present timeline. i also appreciated the stuttering rep with layla. it felt very realistic and the author seemed to do research as smooth speech, not stuttering while singing or using an accent, etc. were mentioned.
i highly recommend this book and i can’t wait to read more from this author.
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes