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mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful book about family, anxiety, friendship, mourning, letting go, and sadly also a magical element.
So this book was, up tot the revelation of the magical element, 5+ stars. I just couldn't, wouldn't, didn't want, to stop reading (sadly, one has to stop at times for sleep or for boyfriends), but you get my drift. Then the magical element was added, and my rating dropped to 5 stars. At this point I am still wondering if I should have this book to be 4.5 instead, and you know what, 4.5 stars it is. As that magical element really ruined my enjoyment and the beauty of the book.
I will put this part under spoiler.
Instead of any of the realistic possibilities or any others that I didn't think of, the author went with a totally weird and unbelievable one. Eternal youth. Sam has drank some sort of potion and has lived for ages, he has tried, back when Helen was younger, to also have her drink it. Since she died due to cancer, I guess you all know what she choose.
Sure, I could have seen the hints (looking back), but again, I just didn't think we would go for some stupid magical element. Since the whole book was so realistic, so painfully beautiful, so well written, with the anxiety, the panic attacks, grieving, why would I possibly think that there would be something like magic added to the mix.
Phew, now that is out of the way, let's talk about the rest of the book. The book starts off when Lottie and her family are throwing out the ashes of her aunt (poor dad btw), and then we go back in time to when her aunt just died. When her family was hearing Aunt Helen's will, and the letters that came with it. The letters which Aunt Helen wrote for Lottie, as she knew that Lottie needed some extra love and care, knew she would be the most affected and the one most likely to collapse. Lottie has anxiety, and we see her go from light panic attacks to full blown panic attacks that feel like heart attacks. We see her cry, we see her world collapse, and we see her think of death (a lot). The letters are definitely helping her a bit more, bringing her closer to her aunt, and also easing the way for her to let her aunt go.
The letters vary from talking about Helen's life to how her life felt after the diagnosis, she reminiscences about how Lottie and Abe were back when they were younger, but they also contain dares, assignments, little or big things to do for Lottie. Like going out and meeting new people, letting things go, or picking up things or bringing things to people. It seems all very simple but for Lottie it is a big deal, and I loved how the author wrote about Lottie's reactions to the letters to when she had to do certain things for her aunt.
I have to say that for a while I thought Lottie was way younger than that she actually was. For a bit of the book I thought she was 14, maybe 15, but later on I could see she was definitely not that, it was as if something had shifted and Lottie acted more like her age or older.
I could talk for a lot longer about Lottie, but I will just end this section with that I loved Lottie and she was just fabulous, sweet, real.
Of course there are tons of other characters featured in this book. All of them are mourning the loss of Aunt Helen in their way, but we also see them try to continue with life.
Em was my favourite girl, followed by Lottie's parents, Aunt Helen (from what we could see of her in the letters she seemed like a wonderful person), Abe, and lastly Sam. I never did quite like Abe and Sam, but if I had to pick who was last, it would be Sam. He was just too perfect, too much there, right in the moment when he was needed, and again what I mentioned in the spoiler, that is what ruined his character further for me.
What more? Oh, yes, could we have a real Alvin Hatter series? Because I adored those excerpts from the books, those little parts that made me fall in love with Alvin and Margo and I wanted to see more of their story, of them, I wanted to read the whole thing, and not just parts of it.
Oh, and it took me up to the moment to realise the cover wasn't her jumping of a boat. :P
All in all, 5+ stars for most of the book, and sadly going downwards nearer to the end. *sighs* I would still recommend it, but if you don't like a magical element in a serious book, then don't read this one or drop it at the right moment.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
So this book was, up tot the revelation of the magical element, 5+ stars. I just couldn't, wouldn't, didn't want, to stop reading (sadly, one has to stop at times for sleep or for boyfriends), but you get my drift. Then the magical element was added, and my rating dropped to 5 stars. At this point I am still wondering if I should have this book to be 4.5 instead, and you know what, 4.5 stars it is. As that magical element really ruined my enjoyment and the beauty of the book.
I will put this part under spoiler.
Spoiler
I had many ideas to what could have happened that was such a big secret for Aunt Helen. Why she left one whole week. Why she seemed different. My guesses varied from Lottie is actually her daughter (which would have been an interesting twist), to an abortion, to a pregnancy and the birth of the S.W (Sam Williams) who she had put up for adoption. As you can see, I had theories that are realistic that I was thinking about. Of course I knew instantly who S. Williams was when we met Sam. Sorry, it was just too obvious.Instead of any of the realistic possibilities or any others that I didn't think of, the author went with a totally weird and unbelievable one. Eternal youth. Sam has drank some sort of potion and has lived for ages, he has tried, back when Helen was younger, to also have her drink it. Since she died due to cancer, I guess you all know what she choose.
Sure, I could have seen the hints (looking back), but again, I just didn't think we would go for some stupid magical element. Since the whole book was so realistic, so painfully beautiful, so well written, with the anxiety, the panic attacks, grieving, why would I possibly think that there would be something like magic added to the mix.
Phew, now that is out of the way, let's talk about the rest of the book. The book starts off when Lottie and her family are throwing out the ashes of her aunt (poor dad btw), and then we go back in time to when her aunt just died. When her family was hearing Aunt Helen's will, and the letters that came with it. The letters which Aunt Helen wrote for Lottie, as she knew that Lottie needed some extra love and care, knew she would be the most affected and the one most likely to collapse. Lottie has anxiety, and we see her go from light panic attacks to full blown panic attacks that feel like heart attacks. We see her cry, we see her world collapse, and we see her think of death (a lot). The letters are definitely helping her a bit more, bringing her closer to her aunt, and also easing the way for her to let her aunt go.
The letters vary from talking about Helen's life to how her life felt after the diagnosis, she reminiscences about how Lottie and Abe were back when they were younger, but they also contain dares, assignments, little or big things to do for Lottie. Like going out and meeting new people, letting things go, or picking up things or bringing things to people. It seems all very simple but for Lottie it is a big deal, and I loved how the author wrote about Lottie's reactions to the letters to when she had to do certain things for her aunt.
I have to say that for a while I thought Lottie was way younger than that she actually was. For a bit of the book I thought she was 14, maybe 15, but later on I could see she was definitely not that, it was as if something had shifted and Lottie acted more like her age or older.
I could talk for a lot longer about Lottie, but I will just end this section with that I loved Lottie and she was just fabulous, sweet, real.
Of course there are tons of other characters featured in this book. All of them are mourning the loss of Aunt Helen in their way, but we also see them try to continue with life.
Em was my favourite girl, followed by Lottie's parents, Aunt Helen (from what we could see of her in the letters she seemed like a wonderful person), Abe, and lastly Sam. I never did quite like Abe and Sam, but if I had to pick who was last, it would be Sam. He was just too perfect, too much there, right in the moment when he was needed, and again what I mentioned in the spoiler, that is what ruined his character further for me.
What more? Oh, yes, could we have a real Alvin Hatter series? Because I adored those excerpts from the books, those little parts that made me fall in love with Alvin and Margo and I wanted to see more of their story, of them, I wanted to read the whole thing, and not just parts of it.
Oh, and it took me up to the moment to realise the cover wasn't her jumping of a boat. :P
All in all, 5+ stars for most of the book, and sadly going downwards nearer to the end. *sighs* I would still recommend it, but if you don't like a magical element in a serious book, then don't read this one or drop it at the right moment.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
papertraildiary's review against another edition
4.0
Here's my review from The Paper Trail Diary:
After reading Lost & Found last summer, I was eager to read another wistful story by Katrina Leno, who must be a big fan of letters, because the theme was in that book and this one, too. In Everything All at Once, a girl named Lottie is grieving her aunt Helen, who was a bestselling author of a children’s book series (basically J.K. Rowling) who died too young from cancer. Lottie finds out that Helen left a stack of letters for Lottie to read after she passes away, which end up being prompts for Lottie to challenge herself and her anxiety.
I really enjoyed this read – it was perfect for a bookworm letter writer in the summer. Lottie was sweet and relatable, and I was always curious where she would end up next. I would pack my bag and jump right in there with her if I could. Her experiencing new things was laced with melancholy, but you could see the love that Helen put into her letters – she knew Lottie so well, she could predict when Lottie would read her letters.
Of course there’s a love interest, the mysterious Sam, the best friend, Em, and the brother, Abe, who accompany Lottie on her adventures, because doing them all alone would be much too lonely, and the group of them had a lovely relaxed dynamic of teens in the summer even though they were harbouring secrets, frustrations, and their own stories.
I appreciated the focus on Lottie’s anxiety, and how it was triggered by her grief, though it wasn’t an overwhelming detail to the story. There were great descriptions, like:
“How are you doing lately?”
'Good. Fine. Terrible. Sometimes I woke up in the middle of the night, convinced the normal darkness of my room was a coffin. Sometimes I read the obituaries in the morning paper and googled things like most unusual deaths. I’d come across a Rilo Kiley song that way, something upbeat and positive but really dark and uncomfortable, and I’d listened to it twelve times in a row one night, falling asleep with the words still crawling across my ceiling.'
I know I had a really good time reading this book and it left me with a sweet wave goodbye. Katrina even interspersed the story with (fake) pages from Helen’s series (like how Rainbow Rowell did in Fangirl), and with what I’m sensing as another theme, there’s just a touch of magical realism to keep you on your toes. I loved how an aunt could leave her niece letters, that that was a way for them to communicate, even after she was gone. That definitely wouldn’t give the same effect if you got emails from your aunt after she died!
After reading Lost & Found last summer, I was eager to read another wistful story by Katrina Leno, who must be a big fan of letters, because the theme was in that book and this one, too. In Everything All at Once, a girl named Lottie is grieving her aunt Helen, who was a bestselling author of a children’s book series (basically J.K. Rowling) who died too young from cancer. Lottie finds out that Helen left a stack of letters for Lottie to read after she passes away, which end up being prompts for Lottie to challenge herself and her anxiety.
I really enjoyed this read – it was perfect for a bookworm letter writer in the summer. Lottie was sweet and relatable, and I was always curious where she would end up next. I would pack my bag and jump right in there with her if I could. Her experiencing new things was laced with melancholy, but you could see the love that Helen put into her letters – she knew Lottie so well, she could predict when Lottie would read her letters.
Of course there’s a love interest, the mysterious Sam, the best friend, Em, and the brother, Abe, who accompany Lottie on her adventures, because doing them all alone would be much too lonely, and the group of them had a lovely relaxed dynamic of teens in the summer even though they were harbouring secrets, frustrations, and their own stories.
I appreciated the focus on Lottie’s anxiety, and how it was triggered by her grief, though it wasn’t an overwhelming detail to the story. There were great descriptions, like:
“How are you doing lately?”
'Good. Fine. Terrible. Sometimes I woke up in the middle of the night, convinced the normal darkness of my room was a coffin. Sometimes I read the obituaries in the morning paper and googled things like most unusual deaths. I’d come across a Rilo Kiley song that way, something upbeat and positive but really dark and uncomfortable, and I’d listened to it twelve times in a row one night, falling asleep with the words still crawling across my ceiling.'
I know I had a really good time reading this book and it left me with a sweet wave goodbye. Katrina even interspersed the story with (fake) pages from Helen’s series (like how Rainbow Rowell did in Fangirl), and with what I’m sensing as another theme, there’s just a touch of magical realism to keep you on your toes. I loved how an aunt could leave her niece letters, that that was a way for them to communicate, even after she was gone. That definitely wouldn’t give the same effect if you got emails from your aunt after she died!
chemwitch's review against another edition
4.0
Things I like about this book:
-believable romance
-magic!!!
-the main concept was intriguing and I was not let down by the execution
-Em and Abe both. Equally lovable. Equally loved.
Things I did not like about this book:
-Lottie. I didn’t dislike her I just didn’t connect with her at all. I enjoyed reading about her adventures but I really didn’t find myself caring about HER.
(I will admit I did root for her when she talked to her parents about needing help.)
Solid read, and I’m glad I picked it up.
-believable romance
-magic!!!
-the main concept was intriguing and I was not let down by the execution
-Em and Abe both. Equally lovable. Equally loved.
Things I did not like about this book:
-Lottie. I didn’t dislike her I just didn’t connect with her at all. I enjoyed reading about her adventures but I really didn’t find myself caring about HER.
(I will admit I did root for her when she talked to her parents about needing help.)
Solid read, and I’m glad I picked it up.
books4susie's review against another edition
4.0
Lottie Reaves is dealing with the death of her beloved aunt Helen, the best-selling, well-known author of a series of children’s books about an immortal brother and sister. (Aunt Helen, think J.K. Rowling famous!) With her high school graduation looming, Lottie suffers from severe anxiety and only her best friend Em and Helen know. After the funeral, the family meets with Helen’s lawyer for the reading of her will. Leaving personal effects behind for her family, everyone is shocked when Helen leaves Lottie a series of letters with very specific directions. As Lottie opens each letter, she finds that her aunt wanted to push her out of her comfort zone as well as divulge a huge secret that she had carried around for years. Lottie soon meets the mysterious Sam, who is also devastated over Helen’s death and has a secret of his own. Interspersed with scenes from Helen’s novels, readers will travel along with Lottie as she mourns her aunt’s death.
literaryrecap's review against another edition
3.75
didn't love this as much as Summer of Salt but it was still very cozy and predictable, which was nice. If I'm being honest I would've loved a book about Em or Abe because they just feel more interesting (Katrina Leno's characters are always so full of life, I love it). also did not like the romance element AT ALL it just feels...wrong that he's 300++ years old lol but again magical realism
gladiolys's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
1madchild's review against another edition
4.0
yes yes yes!!!!
magical realism in a contempoary is my new favourite genre.
only took off a star for the slightly disapointing ending. I need more sam!
magical realism in a contempoary is my new favourite genre.
only took off a star for the slightly disapointing ending. I need more sam!
nklosty's review against another edition
5.0
As I read this, I kept thinking how cool it would be to write or receive the letters. Leno keeps a real feel to the relationships. Not too sure I loved the ending. 92