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One of the reasons I like reading YA is to relive feelings and experiences I'll never have again. First love, first heartbreak, the feeling of being so close to your best friends. When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk addresses a more painful part of being a teenager: losing your best friend.
It happens to most of us. You spend hours upon hours with your best friend, and you can't imagine life without them. Then one day you realize, somehow, that friendship has been severed, either abruptly or gradually over time. Sometimes, you don't even recognize that person you used to swear you'd spend the rest of your life with.
When You Were Everything beautifully captures the painful and emotional friendship breakup of Cleo and Layla. It's messy, sad, but ultimately uplifting. Cleo is flawed, just like all of us, and I appreciated how this book shed light on the mistakes and harm done by both Cleo and Layla. I loved seeing Cleo's growth throughout the book, and the new relationships she forges as she moves forward.
It happens to most of us. You spend hours upon hours with your best friend, and you can't imagine life without them. Then one day you realize, somehow, that friendship has been severed, either abruptly or gradually over time. Sometimes, you don't even recognize that person you used to swear you'd spend the rest of your life with.
When You Were Everything beautifully captures the painful and emotional friendship breakup of Cleo and Layla. It's messy, sad, but ultimately uplifting. Cleo is flawed, just like all of us, and I appreciated how this book shed light on the mistakes and harm done by both Cleo and Layla. I loved seeing Cleo's growth throughout the book, and the new relationships she forges as she moves forward.
What an absolutely charming book! I loved every moment of this story. I very rarely find a romantic novel that I love so much that I rate it 5 stars! (Not an insult- I love the genre! But, I mean, they're formulaic and most romance or rom com books blend together in my memory.) But this one? I guess I was just in the right headspace to read this because I freakin loved it.
I particularly loved Eileen's POV chapters. She is so sweet, nosy, and laugh out loud funny. (Seriously, I was laughing out loud in public while listening and walking my dog every morning.) Beth O'Leary wrote all of the village residents with such humor and the dialogue perfectly captured their relationships with each other. There are some sad aspects to the storyline, such as the loss of a sibling and a break-up, but it is woven in with the adventures of Leena and Eileen so it is an overall light-hearted, fun read.
The production value of this audiobook is top notch. I enjoy audiobooks that have two narrators, but this production goes above and beyond by including a voice filter to make it sound like characters are actually speaking to each other on the phone. Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones are amazing voice actors. The emotion and natural pauses in their narration are what tipped this rating up to 5 stars.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for access to the free audiobook in exchange for an honest review!
I particularly loved Eileen's POV chapters. She is so sweet, nosy, and laugh out loud funny. (Seriously, I was laughing out loud in public while listening and walking my dog every morning.) Beth O'Leary wrote all of the village residents with such humor and the dialogue perfectly captured their relationships with each other. There are some sad aspects to the storyline, such as the loss of a sibling and a break-up, but it is woven in with the adventures of Leena and Eileen so it is an overall light-hearted, fun read.
The production value of this audiobook is top notch. I enjoy audiobooks that have two narrators, but this production goes above and beyond by including a voice filter to make it sound like characters are actually speaking to each other on the phone. Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones are amazing voice actors. The emotion and natural pauses in their narration are what tipped this rating up to 5 stars.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for access to the free audiobook in exchange for an honest review!
Hmm this book was alright. Not bad by any means, but not memorable. I can’t put my finger on what was missing, exactly. It got off to a slow start, and by the time I felt like it was getting real good, there was only 1/3 left. I enjoyed it- Gailey uses fantasy and noir/detective tropes really well. Some parts were pretty funny, and the high school students were honestly the most interesting characters.