Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “When You Were Everything” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

When You Were Everything

Ashley Woodfolk (Goodreads Author)

4.15 · Rating details · 1,841 ratings · 520 reviews

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

Get A Copy

Hardcover, 400 pages

Published March 10th 2020 by Delacorte Press

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about When You Were Everything, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

2020 YA/MG Books With POC Leads

287 books — 613 voters

YA Releases of March, 2020

78 books — 358 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.15 ·

Rating details

· 1,841 ratings · 520 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of When You Were Everything

Mar 17, 2020 Thomas rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own-electronic, five-stars, 2nd-favorites, young-adult, realistic-fiction

My favorite fiction book of 2020 so far, thank goodness for the year of novels that focus on friendship! We Used to be Friends validated my heartbreak over the close friendships I lost in 2019, and When You Were Everything both validated that heartbreak and pushed me to believe in the power of opening my heart again despite past friendship pains. I feel grateful to Ashley Woodfolk for writing such a nuanced and realistic portrayal of friendship. As someone who has had quite a few intense fri My favorite fiction book of 2020 so far, thank goodness for the year of novels that focus on friendship! We Used to be Friends validated my heartbreak over the close friendships I lost in 2019, and When You Were Everything both validated that heartbreak and pushed me to believe in the power of opening my heart again despite past friendship pains. I feel grateful to Ashley Woodfolk for writing such a nuanced and realistic portrayal of friendship. As someone who has had quite a few intense friendships that either still exist today or have ended, I often feel unseen because fiction, including YA, focuses so much on romance. This book, however, gives voice to the type of close relationship that has both sustained me and hurt me throughout my life: best friendship.

The novel follows Cleo Imani Baker and Layla Hassan, two best friends who met at age 12 and have prioritized each other over everything ever since. Their friendship starts to shift when Layla begins to spend more time with the “Chorus Girls,” who make an explicit point not to include Cleo in their friend group. Cleo’s initial hurt at Layla valuing her new friends over their friendship triggers a painful cycle of name-calling, misunderstandings, and betrayals that sends their friendship lurching toward the end. Afterward, Cleo is left to pick up the pieces of her broken heart, all while dealing with her parents’ separation too. While a new friend and a potential romantic flame show interest in Cleo, she has to decide whether to trust them with her heart, especially after Layla bruised and battered it in the fallout of their friendship.

I loved this book for its complex and relatable portrayal of friendship. Almost everything Cleo experienced, I’ve experienced. Seeing a best friend deprioritize you for someone else yet not having the language to describe it in the moment? Yep. Hurting your friend after your friend hurt you in a way you’re unproud of, yet felt cathartic at the time? Been there. Seeing someone you care about change to the point where you no longer really know or love them, and taking a long time to accept that? So me in 2019 and even now. Through the dissolution of Cleo and Layla’s friendship, Woodfolk creates a narrative that feels so, so validating for me and I’m hoping for others who have lost a best friend or a close friend who they loved. With accessible and clear writing, she highlights how much losing a friend can hurt, especially a friend who you trusted with everything.

At the same time, Woodfolk shares the healing process in When You Were Everything. I loved seeing Cleo learn to trust Sydney, another girl she befriends. Woodfolk shows how it takes Cleo time to trust Sydney after Layla broke her heart, and even though it takes time, Cleo learns to open up again and share herself, her joys and her pains. Watching Cleo’s healing process gave me hope for my own healing process and motivated me to celebrate the close friendships I do have right now, despite some of my past ones that have burned me. Woodfolk includes some additional subtle yet brilliant insights throughout the novel too, such as how sometimes you just have to go through your pain instead of trying to erase it, as well as how sometimes you idealize someone and have to learn to see them for who they really are, instead of who you want them to be.

Overall, a fantastic novel I’d recommend for all fans of young-adult fiction. While the book’s pacing felt a little slow for the first 50-100 pages, it does pick up, especially for me when I started to get invested in Cleo’s various relationships and her healing process. While there is a romantic relationship in this novel, it never overtakes the importance of friendship, thank goodness. I’m loving all these novels on friendship so please continue to send any friendship-related book recommendations my way. Props for the inclusion of an almost entirely, if not actually entirely cast of characters of color as well as queer representation too. In her author’s note, Woodfolk shares how she wanted to write this book in part because of the close friendships she’s lost in her life – so I’m grateful for her vulnerability and for her creation of this friendship-focused, beautiful, sad, and hopeful piece of art. ...more

flag 101 likes · Like · see review

Apr 22, 2019 Eric Smith rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult

This book destroyed me and I thanked it for doing so.

flag 53 likes · Like · see review

Feb 23, 2020 Lisa Wolf rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, high-school-setting, friendship

It’s refreshing to read a contemporary YA novel where romance takes a backseat. In When You Were Everything, the focus is on friendship — or more specifically, on the end of friendship.

Few things are more traumatic for teen girls that losing a best friend. In When You Were Everything, we witness the pain and sorrow and rage that occurs when besties forever, Cleo and Layla, fall apart.

It happens the way these things do. Friends since age twelve, the girls start moving in different directions at t It’s refreshing to read a contemporary YA novel where romance takes a backseat. In When You Were Everything, the focus is on friendship — or more specifically, on the end of friendship.

Few things are more traumatic for teen girls that losing a best friend. In When You Were Everything, we witness the pain and sorrow and rage that occurs when besties forever, Cleo and Layla, fall apart.

It happens the way these things do. Friends since age twelve, the girls start moving in different directions at the start of their sophomore year of high school. Layla wants more than anything to join the school chorus, and while the “Chorus Girls” adopt her right away, they have no interest in including Cleo in their elite circle.

Cleo’s feeling are hurt over and over again as Layla spends more time with her new friends than with Cleo, and small slights turn into bigger and bigger betrayals, until there’s a final and irreparable break.

Cleo is also dealing with her parents’ separation, and her new friendless status is made even worse by a stream of bullying and harassment she endures from the Chorus Girls while Layla stands by and does nothing.

Cleo is smart and driven, but she also makes some poor choices, lashing out in hurtful ways when her own feelings are hurt. And while I felt that Layla was more to blame for the friendship break-up, Cleo isn’t blameless either.

When You Were Everything is hard to read at times, specifically because it’s so relatable. My own high school years are way in the past, but Cleo’s feelings as she’s isolated and tormented ring very true, in a sadly timeless sort of way.

I enjoyed seeing how Cleo opens herself up to new friendships and learns to see what’s in front of her instead of living inside her own head so much. There’s a sweet romance too, but it’s less important than what Cleo learns about herself and about friendship.

The cast of characters is nicely diverse, and I liked the way the story includes the importance of family and the impact of parents’ and grandparents’ support, love, and involvement. Despite the sadness of the end of a friendship, the book ends on a hopeful note.

Definitely a recommended read!

Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies. ...more

flag 43 likes · Like · see review

Nov 02, 2020 Eimhear (A Little Haze) rated it really liked it

Shelves: cried-me-a-river, young-adult, books-owned-all-formats, contemporary, 4stars, read2020, reviewed

I don’t know about you but I’ve never read a book about the breakup of a friendship before. Not one like this. This book cuts deep. I think we’ve probably all experienced the sharp pain of a friendship breakup at some stage in our lives but it’s almost a taboo subject! It’s just never discussed.

In my many years shuffling around this mortal coil I’ve had friendships end.
I’ve lost many friendships that simply drifted apart. Those ones don’t hurt thankfully. Life, circumstances, whatever... thing ...more

flag 30 likes · Like · see review

Feb 26, 2020 BookNightOwl rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc, bullying, ya, school, friendship

When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfork brought me back to my high school days. It brought out all the feels that those days gave me. When Cleo starts realizing that she might be losing her best friend she begins having a hard time dealing with life. Not only is she losing her best friend but her parents are also separating. This books deals with alternating dates "Then" and "Now" Then talks about how her friendship ended and Now deals with the present day Cleo. I also enjoyed the diversity ...more

flag 24 likes · Like · see review

Jan 16, 2020 Justin A Reynolds rated it it was amazing

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.

flag 19 likes · Like · see review

Apr 19, 2018 Warda marked it as to-read

Yup! Give it to me!

flag 15 likes · Like · see review

Mar 02, 2021 CW (The Quiet Pond) ✨ rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobook, diverse-shelf, has-poc-rep, young-adult, all-time-favourites, contemporary, has-disabilities-rep, ownvoices, 2021, coming-of-age

If you've ever wanted to read a story about friendship breakups - the messiness, the bitterness, the yearning - then I cannot recommend this splendid book, When You Were Everything, to you all.

- In alternating timelines between 'Then' and 'Now', this book follows Cleo, a Black teen who has a friendship breakup with her then-best friend, Layla, a Black teen with a stutter.
- This book. I never knew a book could make you feel so vulnerable and so seen; a book that lays bare the messiness and hurt ...more

flag 22 likes · Like · see review

Apr 13, 2020 Lucie rated it really liked it

Shelves: black-author, almost-cried

*I received an ARC of this via NetGalley*

The ending of this hit me hard and I did like it a lot. I wish more people had read this so I could talk about it with someone! My biggest "issue" was that the reason Cleo and Layla's friendship ended was used almost like a plot twist? It actually stressed me out that we didn't know why they stopped talking for more than half the book.

I felt like it colored my reading experience a lot because I was constantly wondering what made them act like this and whe ...more

flag 15 likes · Like · see review

Mar 15, 2020 Giulia rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: the-average, the-underwhelming

"Losing you wounded me. Probably more than you know. If I hurt you just as deeply, I’m sorry."

This was a somewhat refreshing story to read.
Refreshing but not memorable, if I have to be honest.

It does not happen that often that the focus point of a YA contemporary is not romance, and so when it actually happens you just gotta jump at the occasion and read the damn book.

This was indeed a YA contemporary which heavily centered around friendship and what it means to stop being friend with your BFF ...more

flag 12 likes · Like · see review

Mar 01, 2020 Ms. Woc Reader rated it liked it

This book was beautifully written though the pacing was a little slow at times. Cleo and Layla have been best friends for years. But once Layla starts hanging out with the chorus girls she gains a little more confidence and starts hanging out with Cleo less; Not to mention Layla's new friend Sloane doesn't seem to like Cleo at all and turns the other chorus girls against her. And Sloane ends up starting a rumor which really hurts Cleo and her family.

While reading it I wanted to judge Cleo for h ...more

flag 12 likes · Like · see review

Aug 04, 2020 Ebony Rose rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Once again, I’ve stayed up til a criminally late hour to finish a book I just couldn’t part with, hiya 3:30AM, how are you?

RTC tomorrow morning when I’m equipped with (not enough) sleep and (too much) caffeine.

----
ALRIGHT, here we go. Am I well rested? No. Will this coffee work miracles? I hope so. Do I regret reading this book in nearly one sitting and foregoing sleep, thereby compromising my cognitive and intellectual abilities for likely the entire day today? No.

Not to be corny, but When Yo Once again, I’ve stayed up til a criminally late hour to finish a book I just couldn’t part with, hiya 3:30AM, how are you?

RTC tomorrow morning when I’m equipped with (not enough) sleep and (too much) caffeine.

----
ALRIGHT, here we go. Am I well rested? No. Will this coffee work miracles? I hope so. Do I regret reading this book in nearly one sitting and foregoing sleep, thereby compromising my cognitive and intellectual abilities for likely the entire day today? No.

Not to be corny, but When You Were Everything was everything. What a beautiful, tender, aching heartbeat of a novel. Every feeling, every description, every character in this book pulsed with life and love and sadness. I was drawn in from the first page.

I don't think we talk enough about friendship break-ups as a society. How they can destroy your life and break your heart and cause you as much anguish as the loss of any other important relationship. So much of life and literature is oriented around romantic relationships and families, and so this was so refreshing. This book made me feel seen and validated. Made me feel as though the literal years it's taken me to get over losing friends were not crazy or dramatic of me, but just a very real and difficult part of life. I learned so much from the main characters in this novel; their bravery in facing their friendship hurt, their bravery in trusting new friends, their bravery in facing each other every day in school all inspired me. They both did hurtful things to the other, they both reacted callously and maliciously to mask what was really simply sadness and missing one another, and I could so relate to that feeling. The book does such a wonderful job of describing the slow decay of a friendship, where once you notice it happening, nothing you do can really stop it (and in fact, your desperate grabbing at the remnants of your friendship with the aim of saving it can often speed up the decaying process). Wow, Ashley Woodfolk completely nailed this painful experience. But, what I loved most is that the book has hopeful threads all throughout. Though the friendship break-up was sad and difficult, there were so many moments that showed us that if you look hard enough, there is often something hopeful, something promising, that comes out of something broken. ...more

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Jul 09, 2020 Hannah // Book Nerd Native rated it really liked it

I'm not crying, I'm not crying! This one was great. I was curious towards the end if it was going to be a 3 or 4 star. I really wanted the protagonist to go through a couple of things in order to give it a full 4.5 stars, but the ending really was perfect. I loved what the author did with this story, and I think it covers really beneficial topics for teenagers, specifically teenage girls. ...more

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Nov 29, 2020 Niki rated it it was ok

Shelves: contemporary, young-adult, hard-pass

I'm reminded once again why I shouldn't read YA anymore. It's frustrating for everyone involved, especially when you think you're reading a book about a friendship and you're getting pages and pages of how much Cleo wants to lick Dom's collarbone instead, or her ~coincidentally~ deciding to let her friendship with Layla go for good when she and Dom are officially in a relationship; of course it was getting a boyfriend that finally fulfilled her, finding new friends in Sydney and Willa just didn' I'm reminded once again why I shouldn't read YA anymore. It's frustrating for everyone involved, especially when you think you're reading a book about a friendship and you're getting pages and pages of how much Cleo wants to lick Dom's collarbone instead, or her ~coincidentally~ deciding to let her friendship with Layla go for good when she and Dom are officially in a relationship; of course it was getting a boyfriend that finally fulfilled her, finding new friends in Sydney and Willa just didn't cut it. Not to mention the fact that Cleo and Dom were insufferable to read about, the narration was so desperate to paint their relationship as super deep and philosophical ("Oh, we talked about fate and stars and Shakespeare~") that it ended up falling flat on its face for me.

Also, the entire drama about (view spoiler) is brushed off like it was nothing in the end, even when it's made to be a huge deal, to the point of a possible police investigation. (view spoiler) Why even include that, then? Just for some quick drama?

Special mention: Sloane (view spoiler)

The book had some good parts, namely that Cleo was a very realistic teenager that speaks and acts like one, the friend breakup was equally realistic and painful as hell, the emphasis on how hard human relationships can be was effective, and everything involving the diner was absolutely lovely, but they weren't enough to save the book overall for me. ...more

flag 10 likes · Like · see review

Jun 13, 2020 Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner) rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya-contemporary, young-adult, ya-realistic-fiction, wtf-why-is-this-not-more-popular

"It's not like it was a relationship," he says, and I frown, annoyed at his reaction. 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 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 in love with our best friends?"

(thank you @randomhousekids for this copy for review consideration)⁣
⁣
O "It's not like it was a relationship," he says, and I frown, annoyed at his reaction. 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 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 in love with our best friends?"

(thank you @randomhousekids for this copy for review consideration)⁣
⁣
Oh you guys. This book sliced through my heart in such a visceral way -- probably the parts that are still tender from the friendship breakups that impacted me to my core. Particularly a high school one that was SOOO similar to what happened in this book in how it happened and was the first time I realized the agony of losing a best friend. ⁣
⁣
The book flips back and forth from past to present in the most perfect way because we watch Cleo and Layla's friendship dissolve slowly without knowing the big catalyst that got us to the icy and hostile "now" between the two.⁣
⁣
It was so hard to watch the friendship crumble in real time. There was a line where she talks about the small ways they chipped away at the friendship -- one not answering a call so the other ignored a text or how sitting somewhere else at lunch led to not waiting for the other after school -- and how those acts snowballed. It was gutting because I think back to all the ways I've seen that play out in my own life -- these little actions leading to reactions that pulled me apart from people. ⁣
⁣
When You Were Everything is an intimate look into a crumbling friendship and the unparalleled loss felt after and the pain and joy in making space in our wounded hearts for new friendships as we continue to let go of what was. I loved that it explored the complexities of friendship and friend breakups in all their messy glory and showing the faults in both parties. ⁣
⁣
I definitely recommend! Also MORE BOOKS LIKE THIS pleaaase because honestly the friend breakups I've had have scarred me more than any romantic type breakup and yet the mourning of those never seemed as common. ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Apr 07, 2020 Mana rated it really liked it

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Love stories and breakups in fiction usually revolve around romantic love, but what about that deep platonic love? Friendships are deep and last years, but what happens when they're over? Society and media don't really explore what happens when friendships end. This book flips the script and tells the story of best friends breaking up.

Chloe is our protagonist. At first, her love for Shakespeare is so cringy because what high schooler likes Shakespeare? Usually, one forced to read Romeo Jul ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Mar 18, 2020 Jessica Jeffers rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya-fiction, authors-of-color

I quite enjoyed this book, about the dissolution of a close female friendship. That's a hard situation for anyone to go through, especially when you're a teenager, and I appreciated that Woodfolk acknowledged how both of the main players in this drama were at fault. Both behaved poorly, both suffered hurt feelings, and the reality is that maybe they've just outgrown each other. It's a bittersweet, realistic, and very touching story.

My only real complaints were that a) it ran a bit long, and som ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Apr 09, 2020 Ashleigh rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: uno-2020

I'm not crying.. You're crying!

This book broke my heart and I couldn't put it down. When You Were Everything follows Cleo Baker, a teenage girl going through a friend-breakup. Doesn't sound very emotional and tragic, but trust me, this book will make you want to cry.

The writing, character development and plot pulled me and were done so well. My heart broke multiple times for Cleo and she felt like a fully-realised flawed but relatable character. If you've ever lost a best friend, you can sympat ...more

flag 8 likes · Like · see review

May 28, 2020 Claude's Bookzone rated it liked it

3.5 RTC
This is my third review to come. Going back to work in the real world is ruining my Goodreads life 😭😭😭😭😭
So much less time to read and write reviews!

flag 8 likes · Like · see review

Feb 25, 2021 Alexa rated it really liked it

Shelves: listened-on-audio, 2021-reads

3.5 stars. Really appreciated the fact that this novel was about a friendship break-up, told in two separate timelines that show the reader how it happened and what happened afterwards.

flag 8 likes · Like · see review

Jun 20, 2020 Isabelle Leventhal rated it it was amazing

Truly a heart wrenching book about female friendships. It made me so introspective on all of my friendships, past and present, and totally broke my heart. It’s introspective and has a lot of layers, some clever devices but at its core is just a really well written story.

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Sep 03, 2020 Enne rated it liked it

Shelves: z-2020-reads, couldn-t-put-it-down, 3-and-a-half-star, pov-1st, age-range-young-adult, character-must-be-protected, anticipated-releases-2020, pov-female, i-cried, i-have-feelings

3.5 stars

I love reading stories about friendship break-ups that shatter my heart into a million pieces and then slowly put it back together. And while this book wasn’t my favorite, I still enjoyed it a whole lot!

This is a dual timeline story that follows a girl named Cleo, who grew apart from her best friend over the course of the last year and is now trying to come to terms with that fact and make new memories to get rid of the memory of her ex-best friend.

My favorite thing about this book is 3.5 stars

I love reading stories about friendship break-ups that shatter my heart into a million pieces and then slowly put it back together. And while this book wasn’t my favorite, I still enjoyed it a whole lot!

This is a dual timeline story that follows a girl named Cleo, who grew apart from her best friend over the course of the last year and is now trying to come to terms with that fact and make new memories to get rid of the memory of her ex-best friend.

My favorite thing about this book is the way it leaves the reader with a feeling of melancholy, but also with a feeling of hope. It really shows that there is a way out, even after something as drastic as losing your best friend happens to you. I loved the way Ashley Woodfolk delivered this message. I also loved that Cleo got to have closure with her ex-best friend, which I think is really valuable.

I thought the way the plot was structured in two timelines really worked well for this story! The two storylines really complimented each other and I thought they worked together really well! I do wish that we had gotten a bit more of Cleo in “present day”, making new friends and that we had gotten to know those friends a little better than we did. That said, I loved what we did get and also the romance in this was adorable.

I also would have liked Cleo’s relationship with her parents, particularly her mom, to be explored a bit more because we got a couple of glimpses of that, but nothing more detailed and I was really intrigued by what we did get!

Finally, I really loved how much of a realized character Cleo was and how deeply she feels things. Not only was that very relatable for me, but it also added so much to her character. I just thought the way Cleo’s character was developed was really well-done and I loved her development. I’m definitely very attached to her.

Overall, I absolutely cannot recommend this book enough. It’s an exploration of friendship break-ups and how painful those can be, but it’s also a story about finding joy and love and friendship again and I absolutely love that.
...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Nov 27, 2019 PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps rated it really liked it

***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. Friend ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Mar 04, 2020 Jaime rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary, 2020-anticipated-releases, favorites, young-adult

Thanks to Penguin Random House for gifting me this book I have been wanting to read Ashley Woodfolk for a while now & I am so happy I did⁠⠀
⁠⠀
This one is about a friendship imploding, Cleo and Layla were besties and then things started to change. There are budding new friendships with other classmates, a new crush on the new boy in school, and all sorts of family stuff going on for Cleo that drives this story⁠⠀
⁠⠀
There is an alternating time line of Then and Now where the story blends past and pre ...more

flag 12 likes · Like · see review

Jul 01, 2020 Renae rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2020, genre-contemporary-or-realistic

I haven't spoken to my best friend, Layla, in twenty-seven days, but the snow is making everything feel a little less real—even that. As I look out at the blurry city, I embrace the illusion that everything is fine because it's snowing. And in the snow, I can pretend that the sad things in my life are just dreams I've misremembered.

The worst breakup is never with your significant other. Really, it's not. Instead, it's the breakup of a close friendship that's the most painful and longest felt ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

May 30, 2020 Sandra rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult

This is a coming-of-age story about the end of friendships, which I find necessary for young adults to experience as a part of life. There are often stories about friends making up with happy endings, but as kids grow older, they must realize that friendships not only break apart, but also require substantive closure and healing. This is the story of Cleo, who loses her bestie, Layla, when Layla begins to hang out with girls in her chorus group. Cleo tries to get over this loss by erasing old me ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Jun 03, 2020 Nard rated it really liked it

Fuck, this one made my throat ache with all the pain of friendships and loss and change

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Feb 25, 2020 USOM rated it it was amazing

(Disclaimer: I received this book from the author. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

When You Were Everything is a heart wrenching story about mistakes, friendship, and loss. The friendships and loss which hits us harder than any other relationship. When someone was a part of you - a piece of your soul - and they begin drifting away, they break apart. I knew from the beginning that When You Were Everything was going to be emotional, but it's also a love letter to th ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Apr 29, 2020 Jasmine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-star-books

In novels and movies we often focus on how traumatic it can be when we break up with romantic partners, but there’s not much of a discussion about breaking up with a friend and how that can hurt more than a breakup with your ex. It starts with small fissures & communication mishaps and then a few months later you realize that you’ve completely grown apart. Or sometimes you both have wronged each other and you realize that there’s no coming back from where you’re at now, so you have to adjust to ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Jul 14, 2020 Drewthereader20 rated it liked it

Shelves: arcs, contemporary, new-releases, tbr-shelf, ebooks, audiobook, 2020-dissapoiments, 2020-reads

It took me almost the whole year to get around to this 385 pages of a contemporary novel and for some reason Idk why but I loved it! This novel was full of diverse ppl. We got a person who stutters and a person dealing with their divorice parents which I wasn't excpeting that for some reasons.
I really loved our main character Chelo she is a new favorite female character. She loved music and books just like me and she is very confident in herself and I did saw the romance coming from a mile awa ...more

flag 16 likes · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
ARTBA 2021: When You Were Everything	2	12	Feb 01, 2021 10:57AM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Contemporary

212 users

Young Adult

187 users

Fiction

57 users

Romance

41 users

Young Adult > Young Adult Contemporary

34 users

Realistic Fiction

32 users

Audiobook

18 users

Family

16 users

LGBT

14 users

Young Adult > High School

8 users

See top shelves…

About Ashley Woodfolk

Ashley Woodfolk

444 followers

Ashley Woodfolk has loved reading and writing for as long as she can remember. She graduated from Rutgers University and worked in children's book publishing for over a decade. Now a full-time mom and writer, Ashley lives in a sunny Brooklyn apartment with her cute husband, her cuter dog, and the cutest kid in the world. Her books include The Beauty That Remains, When You Were Everything, and the ...more

Books by Ashley Woodfolk

More…

Articles featuring this book

Justin A. Reynolds Shares the Black Teen Stories That Give Him 'All the Feels'

Justin A. Reynolds burst onto the YA scene last year with his debut book Opposite of Always, a heartfelt novel about love and friendship...

Trivia About When You Were Eve...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from When You Were Eve...

“There’s a line in The Tempest about the past being prologue to everything that comes after,” — 1 likes

“I swallow hard and yank out my earbuds. I push the tears back down. I'm sick of crying every time I see or hear or feel something that reminds me of her. But before I can move on, I have to shake off the weight of my past. Of our past. I need to rewrite our prologue before it destroys me. So that's exactly what I'm going to do. (pg.6)” — 0 likes

More quotes…

See a Problem?

Preview — When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk

When You Were Everything

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Genres

About Ashley Woodfolk

Books by Ashley Woodfolk

Articles featuring this book

Trivia About When You Were Eve...

Quotes from When You Were Eve...

See a Problem?

Preview — When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk

When You Were Everything

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Genres

About Ashley Woodfolk

Books by Ashley Woodfolk

Articles featuring this book

Trivia About When You Were Eve...

Quotes from When You Were Eve...

new topic
Discuss This Book