Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
I’m glad friend breakups are getting their place in YA lit because it’s such a real and devastating thing that happens in high school/college. But I think it’s really difficult to write a friend breakup story well because 1) generally both parties come off pretty poorly and have blame for what happens so it can be tough to like the characters and 2) there isn’t a lot of room for developing the friendship, so the power of the “breakup” is lessened. I think my biggest problem with this book was that Layla’s motivations were never clear / we never really got to see her being a good friend or likable person?
There were some really powerful passages about grief and moving on in this book, but it just didn’t work for me as a whole.
There were some really powerful passages about grief and moving on in this book, but it just didn’t work for me as a whole.
“If you love someone,” she says, “it’s always worth it…to try. You only get a few truly priceless people in your lifetime. You should fight like hell to hold on to them.”
https://medium.com/the-riveting-review/review-of-when-you-were-everything-cc8f05dac31b
I can't wait to see more by Ashley Woodfolk!
I can't wait to see more by Ashley Woodfolk!
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
“But girls cling to their friends for dear life as they wade ThTs ugh the rough waters of learning who they are while everything around and inside them is changing minute by minute.”
Friend break ups are THE WORST. Honestly, I think they’re more painful than a romantic break up. And it’s not written about enough, and it should be. What topic is more relatable than a once close friend becoming a stranger? Who hasn’t been through that before in their lifetime?
This book was super relatable, and hit me in the feels. The pain that Cleo felt losing Layla; I felt that pain in my bones.
The reason this isn’t a 5 star is because it does take place in high school and there is a lot of petty high school drama that unfolds, that I am just too old for and to be reading about.
I enjoyed that we flip between then and now, the ‘then’ being how and the progress of Layla & Cleo’s friendship ending and the ‘now’ being the aftermath. It seems like Cleo was hit harder, but I think a few chapters from Layla’s perspective would have been interesting!
Cleo was kind of annoying at times, and she wasn’t my favorite character but I was happy to see her grow throughout the story and make peace with a lot of things.
This would be a great story for a middle or high school library and definitely a book high school girls need during those four years.
“But the heart is strange and life is even stranger.”
“But girls cling to their friends for dear life as they wade ThTs ugh the rough waters of learning who they are while everything around and inside them is changing minute by minute.”
Friend break ups are THE WORST. Honestly, I think they’re more painful than a romantic break up. And it’s not written about enough, and it should be. What topic is more relatable than a once close friend becoming a stranger? Who hasn’t been through that before in their lifetime?
This book was super relatable, and hit me in the feels. The pain that Cleo felt losing Layla; I felt that pain in my bones.
The reason this isn’t a 5 star is because it does take place in high school and there is a lot of petty high school drama that unfolds, that I am just too old for and to be reading about.
I enjoyed that we flip between then and now, the ‘then’ being how and the progress of Layla & Cleo’s friendship ending and the ‘now’ being the aftermath. It seems like Cleo was hit harder, but I think a few chapters from Layla’s perspective would have been interesting!
Cleo was kind of annoying at times, and she wasn’t my favorite character but I was happy to see her grow throughout the story and make peace with a lot of things.
This would be a great story for a middle or high school library and definitely a book high school girls need during those four years.
“But the heart is strange and life is even stranger.”
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-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
What a sweet sweet book about a girl, Cleo, who was abandoned by the person she loved most in the world: her best friend. Following a month of pain and sorrow, she looks for the chance to gain closure and move on from the bestie who will never be hers again. She is able to meet new friends and make new memories along the way. I absolutely loved one of our side characters, Dom, and the book’s ending. Perfect for high school and early college readers, Woodfolk tells the story of imploded friendships well.
“Perhaps he doesn’t know how it feels…to break in this particular way. Or perhaps it’s different for boys? But girls cling to their friends for dear life as they wade through the rough waters of learning who they are while everything around and inside them is changing minute by minute. And aren’t we all a little bit in love with our best friends?”
“That’s the thing about words: they can leave you both unscathed and completely gutted. Girls wage endless wars with their voices, tearing you apart without touching you at all.”
“Perhaps he doesn’t know how it feels…to break in this particular way. Or perhaps it’s different for boys? But girls cling to their friends for dear life as they wade through the rough waters of learning who they are while everything around and inside them is changing minute by minute. And aren’t we all a little bit in love with our best friends?”
“That’s the thing about words: they can leave you both unscathed and completely gutted. Girls wage endless wars with their voices, tearing you apart without touching you at all.”
Definitely reads as Y/A. Beginning a bit slow, but eventually picked up. A realistic story.