When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk

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

Reviewed by shannonmiz on

5 of 5 stars

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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.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 25 February, 2020: Finished reading
  • 25 February, 2020: Reviewed