Reviews

When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk

shema's review against another edition

5.0

This was a book that gave me a lot of feels. Not only is this a story about a friendship break up, but it's about how people are human and everyone messes up. And even if some relationships end and can never be mended, there is still hope you can make new ones.

kuya_kes's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

sullyvan's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

el_isa's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I liked the idea, but I didn’t really like the way she brought it. The main character is a whiny overdramatic girl and sometimes things just felt unrealistic. I didn’t really feel the bond she had with the other characters, nor did I feel for her. The writing is just okay, not bad but also not that special. 

marielydias13_'s review against another edition

5.0

“And for a moment I feel happy. But the snowy morning is making me nostalgic for something I can't name; for a place or a moment that doesn't really exist. I think of the past but also of new beginnings bright with possibility.”

This book was everything I did not know that I needed. I remember being a teenager and how much weight and importance I attributed to my friends, above everything else. I always expected getting heartbroken by the cute boy in school, but no one ever warned me how much it would hurt to lose friends along the way.

All the characters were very well-developed, and I loved the descriptions of New York City. It felt very immersive and captivating.

soobles's review against another edition

emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

this was such a hard read omfg. i don’t think i’ve ever read something that had girls be so vicious towards each other. i felt like i needed to finish this book really fast bc it hurt so much to see those two hurt each other that much. and it hurt to see the main girl just lose and lose and lose throughout so much of the book, and see that the other girl gained so much despite being friends with some rude and fake terrible people. 

i did really like that all the characters in this book were very human, no one was completely perfect. you could see both sides to any of the arguments that came up, and everything was wrapped up very nicely. despite the drama sucking out a lot of my soul, this was a rly solid read and i feel like it got a lot of things right, from really well done characterization to easy inclusions of diversity. it painted a pretty vivid and believable world that i was really immersed in from start to finish. 

andreasreadingcorner's review against another edition

3.0

This book just was not for me.

Although I loved Dom and Cleo’s story.

Teenage me would definitely have loved this.

leechachatotheright's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I am a very emotional person when it comes to media; reading books and watching shows. I was definitely very upset during the first half of the book because I was so invested in the main character's feelings, but as the plot progressed and I saw the character development, I felt myself also develop as a reader in this story. I felt very proud by the end of the story. This is my first book about a friendship, I usually read romance, and I'll have to say that I enjoyed it more than I expected. I will say, I would've given this a higher rating but the first half of the book progressed very slowly in my opinion. I will also mention, that when I'm invested in something, I like to finish it all at once rather than breaking it up into pieces and I did finish this book In a day. 

I felt like I was in Cleo's shoes by the time I reached halfway through the book. I was judging the characters and "spinning stories" just as she was, and that ruined my perception of certain characters. As Cleo came to realize that she needed to ask what other people needed rather than her presumptions, I saw the message of the story blossom and I really liked the story during the second half of the book.

kolson20's review against another edition

4.0

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 that happens until almost the end of the book.

The only thing I didn’t love was the ending. It worked fine but it didn’t wow me in any way.

astralinkwell's review against another edition

lighthearted sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5