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When You Were Everything
by
You can't rewrite the past, but you can always choose to start again.
It’s been twenty-seven days since Cleo and Layla’s friendship imploded.
Nearly a month since Cleo realized they’ll never be besties again.
Now, Cleo wants to erase every memory, good or bad, that tethers her to her ex–best friend. But pretending Layla doesn’t exist isn’t as easy as Cleo hoped, especially ...more
It’s been twenty-seven days since Cleo and Layla’s friendship imploded.
Nearly a month since Cleo realized they’ll never be besties again.
Now, Cleo wants to erase every memory, good or bad, that tethers her to her ex–best friend. But pretending Layla doesn’t exist isn’t as easy as Cleo hoped, especially ...more
Hardcover, 400 pages
Expected publication:
March 10th 2020
by Delacorte Press
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Apr 19, 2018
Warda
marked it as to-read
Yup! Give it to me!
This book destroyed me and I thanked it for doing so.
This book has everything I want and gave me a few things I didn’t understand I needed. Wise and melancholic, gorgeously nostalgic, Woodfolk’s stories pummel your heart and make you stronger for it.
told in dual timelines of then and now, ashley woodfolk's newest masterpiece is about what happens when both sides of a friendship implode and how you can't put the pieces back together but you can make two new puzzles
03-23-18 | I haven’t even read The Beauty That Remains yet and I’m already super hype for another Ashley Woodfolk book : )
04-29-18 | I just finished The Beauty That Remains and wow I can't wait to read more of Ashley Woodfolk's writing!! Also, I just realized how much this synopsis reminds me of I'll Give You the Sun, and I freaking love that book, so I have high hopes for When You Were Everything. Is it 2019 yet??
04-29-18 | I just finished The Beauty That Remains and wow I can't wait to read more of Ashley Woodfolk's writing!! Also, I just realized how much this synopsis reminds me of I'll Give You the Sun, and I freaking love that book, so I have high hopes for When You Were Everything. Is it 2019 yet??
***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of WHEN YOU WERE EVERYTHING by Ashley Woodfolk in exchange for my honest review.***
4.5 STARS
Cleo and Layla are best friends. Until they aren’t. Cleo, jealous when Layla’s world expanding with new friends and opportunities, sees her friend’s growth as rejection. She strikes out and Layla’s friends strike back. Cleo escalates with a cruel comment about Layla’s stuttering and things go from bad to worse.
Friendships are complicated. ...more
4.5 STARS
Cleo and Layla are best friends. Until they aren’t. Cleo, jealous when Layla’s world expanding with new friends and opportunities, sees her friend’s growth as rejection. She strikes out and Layla’s friends strike back. Cleo escalates with a cruel comment about Layla’s stuttering and things go from bad to worse.
Friendships are complicated. ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I'm sorry, but that was so weak.
I loved Beauty that remains - emotions, characters having distinct voices, story line... But where The Beauty that remains was emotional and easy to feel, When You Were Everything is dull and distant. Yeah, I get it, it's about friendship - losing one, finding other. But why no one is talking about how Cleo deserved that? Girl. People grow apart, people change. You couldn't handle that, did something terrible, and even though you did apologize - Layla doesn't ...more
I loved Beauty that remains - emotions, characters having distinct voices, story line... But where The Beauty that remains was emotional and easy to feel, When You Were Everything is dull and distant. Yeah, I get it, it's about friendship - losing one, finding other. But why no one is talking about how Cleo deserved that? Girl. People grow apart, people change. You couldn't handle that, did something terrible, and even though you did apologize - Layla doesn't ...more
Painfully honest and so relatable. My heart broke over and over again for Cleo, and I loved the way Woodfolk explored the "friend breakup".
Full review to follow
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
Full review to follow
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
Oh my lord Jesus this book was absolutely brilliant! The main character goes through trials of losing friends and gaining more. She goes through her family being separated but, it was written so beautiful! Ashley Woodfolk knew what she was doing when she wrote this book and it was absolutely amazing. It’s honestly leaving me speechless!
Full offense but how dare Ashley Woodfolk make me cry on my morning commute today!! If I had to read this and cry over having my friendship breakups reflected back at me then so do you. Thank you to the author for this extremely relatable story and for the unexpected ARC after our chat at a YA book event last month, I can't wait to read the published version
...more
This gives me complete I'll Give You the Sun vibes, and I've determined I need this book immediately.
When You Were Everything
( Arc received from Net Galley)
"Somehow I'm the girl who makes all the wrong choices, but I am also a girl who aches in every way to be wanted despite my mistakes "
I requested this arc on a whim and it turned out to be something that came to me in the perfect time in my life. If you have been through a friendship breakup, toxic friendship, or even questioning whether you should cut someone out of your life, definitely check this book out.
The story follows our main ...more
( Arc received from Net Galley)
"Somehow I'm the girl who makes all the wrong choices, but I am also a girl who aches in every way to be wanted despite my mistakes "
I requested this arc on a whim and it turned out to be something that came to me in the perfect time in my life. If you have been through a friendship breakup, toxic friendship, or even questioning whether you should cut someone out of your life, definitely check this book out.
The story follows our main ...more
Amazing book about losing a best friend and moving on. I really related to the main character. She handled losing a friend the way I imagine most teens would.
This book is told in dual timelines of then and now, and I think it works perfectly for the book. The “then” is when the MC Cleo and her ex-best friend Layla were still close but starting to drift. The “now” is Cleo moving on and trying to start a new life with Layla. I love the dual timelines and I love that you don’t find out everything ...more
This book is told in dual timelines of then and now, and I think it works perfectly for the book. The “then” is when the MC Cleo and her ex-best friend Layla were still close but starting to drift. The “now” is Cleo moving on and trying to start a new life with Layla. I love the dual timelines and I love that you don’t find out everything ...more
Thanks to Random House Children's & NetGalley for the e-ARC!
Cleo's supportive grandmother has died, her parents' marriage has dissolved, and her relationship with her best friend has exploded. Diverse characters were very relatable, and their interactions were realistic. Jealousy and feelings of being left out lead to the deterioration of Cleo's friendship with Layla. Eventually, things are said (and posted on social media) that cannot be forgiven. Cleo is feeling an overall sense of loss and betrayal and has to develop a new support system outside of
...more
Thank you so much to Netgalley for the ARC of this emotional yet uplifting tale of a girl attempting to piece her world back together after a best friend break-up. This isn't a topic that I see explored very often, and if it is, it isn't ever in this kind of unrelenting detail. I think people are inclined to be incredibly understanding about romantic relationships falling apart, but the loss of a platonic love can be just as devastating. We meet a plethora of people as we grow, and some are
...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I don't think I was mentally prepared for what this book put me through. I went through a friendship breakup so similar to Cleo and Layla's in the past and this hit so close to home.
When You Were Everything gives a look into the complications and the trials that friendships go through when you grow apart with someone. I am deeply impressed with how Ashley Woodfolk made it abundantly clear that both of the parties involved were both deeply flawed and ultimately both of their behaviors lead to ...more
When You Were Everything gives a look into the complications and the trials that friendships go through when you grow apart with someone. I am deeply impressed with how Ashley Woodfolk made it abundantly clear that both of the parties involved were both deeply flawed and ultimately both of their behaviors lead to ...more
Loss of friendship. Bullying. Family turmoil. Growing up. These are all events that occur in When You Were Everything. Many of us can relate to one or many of these events, and that is the reason that When You Were Everything is a book that needs to be read by everyone!
Told through the perspective of a high school student, Cleo, who recently lost her best friend, When You Were Everything takes you on an emotional rollercoaster that has you gripping on for dear life. Throughout the book, you feel ...more
Told through the perspective of a high school student, Cleo, who recently lost her best friend, When You Were Everything takes you on an emotional rollercoaster that has you gripping on for dear life. Throughout the book, you feel ...more
Ashley is just so damn good at writing a melancholy book with straight up gorgeous, lyrical prose.
My heart. Oh, my heart. This book may be titled When You Were Everything, but to me this book IS everything.
Cleo... smh
This is an incredibly well-written book that tears at the heartstrings and gets the pain of a friend break-up just right. Woodfolk really captures just how devastating a friend break-up can be, and I love that this is one of two new books (alongside Spalding's WE USED TO BE FRIENDS) that take seriously this experience, which is almost as common as romantic break-ups but not nearly as frequently portrayed. I think this book will be so helpful to young people (and frankly, adults) who will see
...more
4.5
Having experienced the unique heartbreak that can come when you lose your best friend in a dramatic and climactic fashion, I requested this book through Netgalley thinking I might be able to relate to Cleo. I’m so glad I did. The author poignantly captures just how devastating a friendship breakup can be, and how hard it is so move on even though it is for the best. This story took let me time travel 17 years in my own past and left me in (good) tears.
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC for an honest review.
This is the first book I've read of Ashley Woodfolk, and I was not disappointed. What a beautifully written book about friendship, loss, love, and all that in between. As someone who has lost her fair share of friends throughout my life, this book really touched me on a deeper level. I liked how we saw how both actions of both girls brought upon the end of their friendship. Some of the drama felt a little over the top (dad and the English ...more
This is the first book I've read of Ashley Woodfolk, and I was not disappointed. What a beautifully written book about friendship, loss, love, and all that in between. As someone who has lost her fair share of friends throughout my life, this book really touched me on a deeper level. I liked how we saw how both actions of both girls brought upon the end of their friendship. Some of the drama felt a little over the top (dad and the English ...more
Makes you think of every friend you’ve ever lost. Actually, it just makes you think about friendships, relationships, and people in general.
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Ashley Woodfolk graduated from Rutgers University with a BA in English and her life-long love of books led her straight to the publishing industry. She's a member of the CBC Diversity Committee and markets books for children and teens. In her abundance of "spare" time, she writes contemporary YA. Indie movies, beer, books, and burgers are a few of her favorite things. She lives in Brooklyn with
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