When You Were Everything

by Ashley Woodfolk

For fans of Nina LaCour's We Are Okay and Adam Silvera's History Is All You Left Me, this heartfelt and ultimately uplifting novel follows one sixteen-year-old girl's friend breakup through two concurrent timelines--ultimately proving that even endings can lead to new beginnings.

"Stunning." --Nic Stone, bestselling author of Dear Martin and Odd One Out

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 after she's assigned to be Layla's tutor. Despite budding friendships with other classmates--and a raging crush on a gorgeous boy named Dom--Cleo's turbulent past with Layla comes back to haunt them both.

Alternating between time lines of Then and Now, When You Were Everything blends past and present into an emotional story about the beauty of self-forgiveness, the promise of new beginnings, and the courage it takes to remain open to love.

"Breathtakingly beautiful....Woodfolk has a way of making words sing and burst with light." --Tiffany D. Jackson, award-winning author of Monday's Not Coming and Let Me Hear A Rhyme

• ISBN10: 1524715948
• ISBN13: 9781524715946
• Publish Date: 9 March 2021 (first published 10 March 2020)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Imprint: Ballantine Books Inc.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 400
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781524715946

Reviews

[Angie]

When You Were Everything is one of those books where I felt like I was in it. I remember so well having a falling out with my best friend in high school. It never got as bad as what Cleo and Layla go through, but I knew these feels very well. Cleo and Layla have been inseparable for years, and now they're simply not. Of course, it's not that simple, and Cleo slowly reveals it to us as she tries to move on without her best friend.

When You Were Everything alternates between "then" and "now." "Then" is when Cleo and Layla were still best friends, but things start changing. Layla falls in with a group of popular girls who don't like Cleo, and Cleo doesn't fit in with them. This is where I was. I was left behind for a better group, because I just didn't fit. Cleo and I tried at first for our friend's sake, but ultimately, it doesn't work. After that, these girls just keep one-upping each other in how they can make the other hurt. It was painful to read. Friendships change and dissolve, but it doesn't have to get ugly like this. It was just one thing after another until there was no coming back.

The toxicity of Cleo and Layla's relationship starts leaking into every aspect of Cleo's life. It's like she's consumed with getting back at Layla while also trying to erase their history. She pushes away possible new friends. She's distancing from her parents--although, there's more problems going on at home as well. She's even skipping school, despite being a star pupil. She quickly becomes someone she doesn't recognize as she behaves as badly, or even worse, than Layla's catty new friends.

I found When You Were Everything extremely relatable and compelling. It was nice to read about a friendship rather than a romantic relationship,especially one that isn't sunshine and rainbows. Friendships end all the time for so many reasons. Are they all this messy? No, but I still believed everything that these girls said to each other on their way down.

[Laurie]

Review posted on https://lauriesbookshelf.comC: 6, A: 6, W: 7.5, P: 5, I: 6.5, L: 7, E: 7 = 43 / 7 = 6,1 --> 3 starsThis review was originally posted on Laurie's Bookshelf

[lauriesbookshelf]

Review posted on https://lauriesbookshelf.comC: 6, A: 6, W: 7.5, P: 5, I: 6.5, L: 7, E: 7 = 43 / 7 = 6,1 --> 3 starsThis review was originally posted on Laurie's Bookshelf

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

4.5*

What happens when a friendship you thought you'd have forever breaks up? That is what When You Were Everything explores in brutal honesty and fabulous realism. And it's something that I imagine everyone can relate to. The loss of someone important to you, the grief of moving on without them. Cleo never thought she'd have to move on from Layla. Layla had been like a sister to Cleo ever since Cleo lost her beloved grandmother.

The author tells the story through dual timelines. We're with Cleo in the present, as she tries to rebuild her life without Layla, and we get glimpses of what lead to the demise of their friendship. The whole story felt so honest. Layla started hanging out with a new group of girls who, frankly, aren't very nice. Cleo is hurt, and acts out a bit. And it all devolves from there, in ways I won't tell you because I don't want to spoil it.

But the gist is, Cleo has to find out who Cleo is. Without a person she thought would always be there for her, but on her own. She needs to figure out what sort of friend she wants to be, what sort of daughter she wants to be, and perhaps what kind of partner she wants to be. At first, Cleo tries to rewrite her memories- literally make new ones of the places and things she enjoys without Layla in them. But we know this is unsustainable, but Cleo must figure that out.

As she continues her journey, she has the love and support of her parents, and there are a lot of family elements in the book as well. She also will meet a lot of new people who could be potential friends (or maybe more!) but Cleo needs to relearn how to let people in. That is so hard, and it's a lesson we all need to hear once in a while.

Bottom Line: Cleo's story is a powerful tale of love and loss and finding oneself again. When You Were Everything is perfect for anyone who has ever experienced a loss- that is to say, every one of us.

[Sam@WLABB]

Layla entered her life at time when Cleo really needed her, and now, as her family was falling apart, she was gone. Once she was Cleo's everything, but now, they were veritable strangers.

I am so happy to be seeing more and more of these friend breakup stories. I bet many people have experienced a painful end to what they thought was a lifelong relationship, and therefore, many will be able to relate to what Cleo was going through. In fact, my heart ached, often, as I read this book, because I have been there, and it wasn't any easier watching it happen to someone else.

Cleo was this "old soul", who I instantly loved. She adored The Bard, and was often found listening to classic jazz due to the influence of her beloved grandmother. Cleo was happy living in her bubble with Layla, but unfortunately, Layla was changing, and wanted to expand her social circle. This was a case of two people growing apart, and though there's no crime in that, both Layla and Cleo committed quite a few missteps, until their friendship reached a rather irreparable point.

I loved the way Woodfolk took me back and forth, between the past and the present. I watched as, bit by bit, this once solid friendship unraveled until the bond was lost forever. Present Cleo spent a lot of time reflecting on what had happened, and what she did wrong, as she tried to rebuild her life without Layla. I felt like I was going through the stages of grief with her, which seemed really appropriate, as the death of a friendship can be such a profound loss for many.

I found myself more sympathetic towards Cleo, since I was always the one left behind, but I also understood Layla's need to stretch her wings. Needless to say, Cleo's loss was deep, but it also led to some wonderful new things for her.

Without Layla to rely on, Cleo began forming new friendships. She found people, who shared her passions, and appreciated her view of the world. She began to push herself, to put herself out there, working in the diner, and even finding some romance. This was not a smooth journey for Cleo. She was wounded and gun-shy. She was struggling with trusting and understanding why these people would want to be her friend. It was parts like these that pained me, but I understood her need for self preservation.

I read another friend breakup story, not too long ago, and I feel like Woodfolk's was more successful for me, because of the amount of time spent on the post mortem part of the relationship. It was also more hopeful, and acknowledged that, though, a relationship had ended, it could still be an important part of your life.

Overall: A relatable story of the demise of a relationship, which was painfully honest, but hopeful.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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